UK unemployment rate rose by 21,000 in summer, official figures show

Unemployment in the UK has increased, figures show
PA Wire/PA Images
Ella Wills13 November 2018

Unemployment in the UK increased by 21,000 between July and September to 1.38 million even though record numbers of people are in work, official figures from the Office for National Statistics show.

There were 43,000 fewer unemployed people than for a year earlier but there was a large increase in the number of men out of work.

Employment continued to increase, up by 23,000 to a record high of 32.4 million, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Other figures showed a record fall in the number of non-EU nationals working in the UK, down by 132,000 to 2.25 million in the latest quarter compared with a year ago.

The fall, the biggest since records began in 1997, was driven by fewer Eastern Europeans working in the UK.

The total has now fallen for the last three quarters, down from the highest level of 2.4 million a year ago.

The UK's jobless rate is now 4.1 per cent, up by 0.1 per cent on the previous quarter but 0.2 per cent lower than a year ago.

The increase in both unemployment and employment is explained by the UK's rising population.

The ONS also reported that average earnings increased by 3 per cent in the year to September, up from 2.8 per cent the previous month.

ONS senior statistician Matt Hughes said: "The labour market is little changed on the previous three months, though still stronger than it was at this time last year.

"With faster wage growth and more subdued inflation, real earnings have picked up noticeably in the last few months.

"However, real wage growth is below the level seen in 2015, and real wages have not yet returned to their 2008 levels.

"The recent uptick in British nationals in work and the decline in workers from the so-called A8 Eastern European countries both seem to be accelerating."

Job vacancies were up by 14,000 on the quarter to a record high of 845,000, the ONS reported.

The number of people classed as economically inactive increased by 1,000 to 8.7 million, around 147,000 lower than a year ago.

The figure includes those on long-term sick leave, students, and people who have given up looking for a job.

Alok Sharma, employment minister, said: "Once again, the benefits of a strong jobs market are paying off, with the eighth month of real-terms wage growth for UK workers and the highest regular pay growth in almost a decade.

“With more people now in work then ever before and unemployment almost halving since 2010, we are delivering an economy that gives people the opportunity of a better future.

“And it’s worth noting that of the over 3.3 million jobs created in the British economy since 2010, three quarters are permanent, full time and in higher level occupations with high wages.”

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