UK unemployment rate is down
The fall in the number of unemployed women was solely responsible for the latest decline in unemployment.
Overall, unemployment fell by 38,000 in the three-month period ending April on the previous three-month period to 1.42 million. The fall was enough to cut the unemployment rate to 4.2% of the working population from 4.3%.
The number of unemployed women fell by 47,000 to 649,000, but male unemployment rose by 10,000 to 767,000.
Women in the 25 to 49 age bracket made a huge contribution to the fall, but older women (aged 50 and over) saw their numbers increase.
It was the reverse for men, with unemployment among 25- to 49-year-olds accounting for most of their increase, while the number of older unemployed males was down.
The unemployment rate for women was cut to 4.1% from 4.4%, while the male rate edged higher to 4.3% from 4.2%.
There was also a fall in the other main unemployment measure — the claimant count — which only includes claimants receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance and those on the means-tested Universal Credit.
In May 2018, unemployment under this count fell by 7,700 to 886,200 from the revised figure for April of 893,900.