UK unemployment rate at lowest since 2009

The UK unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since 2009, official figures show.

At 7.4%, this is the lowest rate since the February-to-April period in 2009, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

This compares with a figure of 7.6% for the three months to September, and is below the rate analysts had expected.

The number of people out of work fell by 99,000 to 2.39 million in the three months to October, the ONS said.

Employment minister Esther McVey told the BBC: "When people said unemployment would rise, when they said there would be a double dip economy, that did not happen. The reverse has happened.

"So it's tough, it's slow, but we're going in the right direction."

David Tinsley, UK economist at BNP Paribas said the UK labour market was "showing spectacular strength".

Record low
The Bank of England has said it will not consider raising interest rates from their record low of 0.5% until the unemployment rate falls to 7%.

But even then, governor Mark Carney has said an interest rate increase is not guaranteed.

The ONS data also showed that the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in November fell by 36,700 to 1.27 million.

The number of people aged 16 and over who are in work was 30.09 million, up 250,000 compared with May to July period.

The percentage of the workforce in the public sector - 18.8% of those in employment, or 5.7 million people - fell to its lowest rate since the current data series began in 1999.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25428119


I wonder how much money has been saved long term with the last point.

The number of people out of work fell by 99,000 to 2.39 million in the three months to October, the ONS said

I wonder how many of those are full time permanent?
On the face of it its good news but its not if those jobs are zero hours or part time etc because it still means people in poverty. The low paid get little help, thats why you are better off not working in some cases.

More working people live in poverty that the retired and unemployed combined.

Hi Nems

Sorry but I do not buy how they classify poverty levels for people today in Britain or how the fact many people themselves get into a mess because they are financially poor at managing their money. The reality is we have to stop treating every situation with kid gloves. Yes there are genuine people out there who have fallen on hard times who need help and there are plenty that have created their own money issues. People need to start taking responsibility for their situations, as many people get by very well on just minimum wages, so why is it that others cannot? Thus there then is another factor, one of which people are to afraid to admit, they are poor with their money and place material wealth over what is a necessity.


This is great news for the economy with less public sector jobs, and yet vastly more private sector jobs, which will have a knock on affect with people spending more, thus creating more jobs. This is a very promising outlook for 2014.

They won't be spending more if their pay is so low, or in the case of zero hours contracts, non existant, that they have to receive benefits, and that is what most of these jobs are. Plus seasonal work that will disappear in January.

Disagree with that Sassy as clearly people are spending as Jobs are being created, this is excellent news and is another nail in the coffin for Labour

 

Poverty lol

Shall we also look at fuel poverty and what temperature your house should be at (only if you're on benefits of course, they just don't care about "normal" families).

Yea yea Andy, we know, you never put your heating on and sit swaddled in Artic gear. New record please.

No sassy, don't be silly, but I don't think this is necessary:


Statistics are also available for the 10 per cent definition. Under this, a household is said to be fuel poor if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to maintain a satisfactory heating regime (usually 21 degrees for the main living area, and 18 degrees for other occupied rooms).

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics

So what temperature do you keep your house at?

Sassy wrote:So what temperature do you keep your house at?

Absolutely no idea sassy - we don't have one of those posh things where you turn the dial to "21" but needless to say, in the winter, when it gets colder, we have to put a jumper on etc. (I walk around with my old army softie coat)

You know, all natural and stuff, like our ancestors.

No stripping for sex then, it'd drop off lol

Considering when I grew up, we never even had heating, we put on extra clothes as many did in the past, extra blankets at night. There are ways to combat the cold, plus new more efficient ways to manage the temperature.

Mine is great and is set at a level of 16, if it goes below during the many time-zones set, it kicks in to bring back up the Temp and has saved me a small fortune.

The reality is, nobody is denying people are struggling, but the reality is things are going in the right direction, with the economy and jobs and that is good news

I think people in developed countries are slightly obsessed with walking around in T-shirts all the time.

Heaven forbid putting a "pullover" on or one of those old fashioned cardigans.

21 degrees lmao

Here's another funny one - those on benefits who are trumpeting about fuel poverty this and that are the ones who get their homes updated when the radiators and boilers are old. They also get the free insulation in the loft and walls. There are entire roads near me who have had solar panels put on the roofs.

Then there's thousands of kids who's parents work every day but earn just too much and have an old cr4ppy boiler, old kitchen etc.

This country has rewarded non-workers for years and still does. Now the river has ran dry they are absolutely struck dumb when they hold their hands out and get a little less.