Million more people in jobs

Minister for Employment Esther McVey

A million more people are in work compared to early 2010 according to figures released yesterday (16 October) by the Office for National Statistics.

The total number of people in employment is now at a new record high, with the rise being driven by growth in full-time and permanent jobs.

The figures also show that there are more than 540,000 vacancies available in the UK economy at any one time.

This is accompanied by a  fall in unemployment of more than 18,000 over the last three months - a figure that includes a significant fall in long-term unemployment of more than 15,000.

The total number of people out of work has fallen by more than 450,000 since early 2010, with the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits down by a similar amount. 

The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance has fallen by 41,700 over the last month, and is down by 214,500 since this time last year. The number signing on is now at the lowest level since January 2009.