Labour Research July 2019

News

Unemployment lowest since 1974


The UK unemployment rate is at its lowest level for almost 45 years.


In the three months to April, the unemployment rate fell to 3.8% from 3.9% in the previous three-month period. The rate has not been lower since the three-month period ending December 1974, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.


The lower rate came on the back of a fall of 34,000 in unemployed numbers to 1.3 million in the April period against 1.34 million for the January period.


On a gender basis, woman accounted for most of the overall fall. The number of unemployed women fell by 25,000 to 586,000 and their unemployment rate was down to 3.7% from 3.8%.


Meanwhile, the number of unemployed men fell by just 9,000 to 719,000, which was not enough to impact on their unemployment rate which remained at 4.0%.


There was an increase in the other main official unemployment measure — the claimant count. This count only includes claimants receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance and those on the means-tested Universal Credit. In May 2019, unemployment under this count totalled 1.1 million, a 23,200 increase on the revised total for April of 1.08 million. 


The increase in numbers pushed the joblessness rate up to 3.1% from 3.0%.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment