UK unemployment rate decreased in Q1

According to the Office for National Statistcis (ONS), unemployment in the UK fell by 51,000 to 2.61 million in the three months to April. The jobless rate was recorded at 8.2 percent.

However, the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance increased by 8,100 in May compared with April, to 1.60 million.

Overall, there were 29.28 million people in work, up 166,000 on the previous quarter, the largest quarterly increase since August 2010.

Private sector employment rose by 205,000 to 23.38 million, but the number of people employed in the public sector fell by 39,000 to 5.9 million, the lowest figure since March 2003. Furthermore, the ONS indicated that in the previous months the rise in employment had been led by part-time workers, this month the increase was quite evenly distributed between part-time and full-time workers.

Some economists pointed out that whereas the latest ONS figures showed some good news in the UK's labour market, the concerns about a sustainable recovery still remain, given the continuing economic challenges in the euro zone.

Source: BBC