By Vivienne Russell | 16 April 2014
The unemployment rate fell to 6.9% in the three months to February, the first time it has dipped below 7% since the recession hit in 2009, according to official figures published today.
Office for National Statistics data shows that unemployment was 77,000 lower than it had been in the three months to November, and 320,000 lower than a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the number of people in work rose to 30.3 million, 239,000 more than the September-November period. Over the year, employment was 691,000 higher.
Employment minister Esther McVey said it was a credit to business that Britain was working again.
She added: ‘But there is still more to do – which is why I’d go even further and call on more employers to work with us to tap into the talent pool the UK offers.’
At the Work Foundation, chief economist Ian Brinkley acknowledged the labour market figures were good, and represented a move towards the chancellor’s ambition for a return to full employment.
‘The remarkable growth in self-employment continues, especially for full-time jobs,’ he noted.
‘But the regional recovery remains unbalanced. London and the Greater South East continue to power ahead of the rest of the UK in terms of employment generation. Employment levels in the North East are lower today than they were at the end of the recession, measured by the workforce jobs indicator. Gaps in regional employment performance are also widening rather than narrowing.’
