Unemployment falls again
New figures from the Office of National Statistics show an increase in the number of people in employment, as well as a fall in the numbers claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance.
Job vacancies are also up, the redundancy rate down, and there is a slight increase in average earnings.
The number of people in employment rose by 10,000 over the last quarter, with a fall of 51,000 in the number of unemployed people. The unemployment rate is running at 4.7 per cent, with 1.39 million people out of work – the lowest level since records began in 1975.
However, in the year leading up to June, the number of jobs in the production industries was down by 91,000.
The figures were welcomed by the Minister for Work, Jane Kennedy, who said that they showed the ongoing strength of the economy, saying: “Our aim now is to build on this success by extending employment opportunity to all. Jobcentre Plus, together with programmes like the New Deal, have contributed to historically low levels of unemployment and are increasingly making a difference for other people on benefits.”
“Six years after the introduction of the New Deal for Lone Parents, the proportion in work is higher than ever before, at 54 per cent. But we want to go further: we are now testing a range of measures to encourage more lone parents to actively seek work; to ensure when they take up work they are better off; and to ensure they have access to the childcare they need.”
The Liberal Democrats, however, accused the Government of ignoring those people of working age who classed as “economically inactive”, a category they say has risen to nearly eight million. Spokesman Paul Holmes, said: “It’s shocking that so many people have been ignored and sidelined.
“The Government shouts about how well it is managing employment levels but turns a blind eye to the millions of working age who are not working.
“These figures may be evidence that benefit sanctions only drive people towards the black market. The New Deal is in dire need of reform. Forcing people to jump through hoops is not the answer to unemployment.”
