Unemployment falls but claimant numbers rise

Britain’s unemployment tally fell by 51,000 in the three months from February to April, official figures suggest.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the jobless rate fell from 8.4 per cent to 8.2 per cent over the quarter.

This means there are now 2.61 million people out of work in the UK.

But the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) rose by 8,100 between April and May to 1.6 million.

Average earnings remain muted, with total pay including bonuses up by 1.4 per cent from a year ago and up 0.5 on the three months to March.

Regular pay excluding bonuses rose by 1.8 per cent from a year earlier, up 0.2 on the three months to March.

Both rates are still outpaced by inflation, which now stands at 2.8 per cent.

Men accounted for the bulk of the drop in the unemployment total, while female unemployment fell by just 1,000, the report shows.

Youth unemployment fell by 29,000 to 1.01 million

Joblessness fell across all age groups, except for the over 65s.

The ONS said that the number of people working part-time because they could not find a full-time job increased by 25,000 over the quarter to reach 1.41 million.