20.06.12
Unemployment falls to 2.61 million
UK unemployment fell by 51,000 to 2.61 million in the three months to April, figures from the ONS show. However, other statistics show a mixed picture on the state of the economy, with the claimant count and number of people in long-term unemployment increasing.
In May, the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance increased by 8,100 compared with April. The number of people unemployed for more than a year increased by 85,000 to 886,000 and the number unemployed for more than two years rose by 29,000 to 434,000.
Most of the decrease in unemployment was made up of men, with female unemployment only falling by 1,000.
However, youth unemployment fell by 29,000 to just over 1 million and the increase in employment was fairly evenly spread between part-time and full-time work, demonstrating a more secure base of work.
Self-employment reached a record figure of 4.17 million, up to 84,000 since the previous quarter. Overall, there were 29.28 million people in work, up 166,000 on the previous quarter.
The ONS said the unemployment level in theUKoverall was “showing some improvement”.