UK unemployment falls to 2.47m
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The number of unemployed people in the UK fell by 34,000 to 2.47m in the three months to May, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
The employment rate for the three months to May 2010 stood at 72.3 per cent, a 0.3 per cent increase on the previous quarter, while the number of people in employment rose by 160,000 on the quarter to reach 28.98m.
The quarterly increase was largely down to an a rise in part-time and self-employment in the last quarter, with increases of 117,000 and 59,000 respectively. The number of full time employees fell 22,000 to reach 18.2m.
The unemployment rate for the three months to May 2010 stood at 7.8 per cent, a 0.1 per cent fall on the quarter. The number of unemployed people for 12 months or more increased by 61,000 over the quarter to reach 787,000, the highest figures since the three months to March 1997.
The inactivity rate for the three months to May 2010 was 21.3 per cent, down 0.2 per cent on the quarter. It now stands at 8.1m.
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