Unemployment rate edges down

According to the Labour Force Survey, unemployment fell by 49,000 to 2.51 million in the three-month period ending September, with the unemployment rate edging down to 7.8% from 8.0%.

Numbers of unemployed men fell by 39,000 to 1.43 million and their unemployment rate is down to 8.2% from 8.5%. Numbers of unemployed women fell by only 10,000 to 1.09 million, but their rate is down to 7.4% from 7.5%.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber welcomed the improvement, but warned that “tougher times may still be ahead if our economy starts to slow again in the autumn quarter”.

He added: “Improvements can only be sustained if the government acts to keep our economy moving.”

The TUC is worried that long-term unemployment is on the rise. There were 894,000 people who had been unemployed for over a year in the three months to September — this is a 12,000 rise on the previous three months. And more than one in three of the total unemployed (35.5%) have been jobless for over 12 months.

According to the Office for National Statistics, unemployment on the other main jobless measure — the claimant count — was up by over 10,000 to 1.58 million.

This measure only includes those claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance.