Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show the UK labour market is improving, with a rise of 254,000 people employed in the three months to May.
There are now 30.64 million people in employment, 929,000 more than in May 2013, putting the unemployment rate at 6.5 per cent.
The number of people not in employment but seeking work fell by 121,000 on the quarter to 2.12 million, down 383,000 on the year and down from a 17-year peak of 2.7 million at the end of 2011.
The number of economically inactive people aged from 16 to 64 also fell by 67,000 to reach 8.78 million.
Across the country, 73.1 per cent of 16- to 64-year-olds were now employed. ONS figures also show the average weekly wage – excluding bonuses – was £447 for the three months to May, up 0.7 per cent compared to the same quarter last year.
Trades Union Congress general secretary Frances O’Grady said while it was good to see unemployment falling, pay growth was at a record low, prompting “serious questions” about the quality of jobs being created.
“If all the recovery can deliver is low-paid, low-productivity jobs – many of which don’t offer enough hours to get by – then it will pass most working people by and Britain’s long-term economic prospects will be seriously diminished.”
