Photograph by Helen Cobain
The number of unemployed people in the UK has unexpectedly fallen by 5,000 according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The ONS data shows that 2.51 million people were unemployed in the three months to April, with the jobless rate remaining unchanged at 7.8%. It was the decline in unemployed numbers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, that hid the 6,000 increase in unemployment in England.
The number of Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants fell by 8,600 in May to 1.51 million. However, the long-term unemployed numbers are up by 11,000, with 898,000 people out of work and seeking a job for over a year.
The data also shows that earnings were up 1.3% on last year, which is below inflation with consumer prices going up 2.4% over the same period. This is a real-terms loss to the purchasing power of the working public.
