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Joblessness down on both counts
Unemployment fell on both of the main counts, latest official figures show.
Under the Labour Force Survey count, unemployment was down by 2,000 to 1.69 million in the three-month period ending March compared with the previous period.
The fall in numbers didn’t impact on the unemployment rate which remains at 5.1%.
The number of unemployed men fell by 7,000 to 917,000, but their unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.2%. However, the number of unemployed women increased by 5,000 to 775,000, although their unemployment rate remained at 5.0%.
The TUC, ahead of its annual Disabled Workers’ Conference, said that government attempts to get more disabled people into work have been undermined by cuts to Employment and Support Allowance. And the scaling back of programmes like Access to Work, has not helped them find lasting employment.
The other main unemployment measure — the claimant count — only includes claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance and those on the means-tested Universal Credit.
In April, unemployment under the claimant count fell by 2,400 to 737,800 from the revised for March of 740,100. The fall in numbers cut the joblessness rate from 2.2% to 2.1%.