Largest quarterly rise in employment since records began

The number of people in a job rose 280,000 in the last three months - the largest quarterly increase since records began - according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics this morning.

There are now a record-breaking 30.15 million people in work – an increase of 1.3 million since 2010. Creating jobs and getting people into employment are central to the Government’s long-term economic plan to build a stronger, more competitive economy, so hardworking people can secure their future.

Unemployment also fell 167,000 in the last three months, which is the largest quarterly fall since August to October 1997. The unemployment rate now stands at 7.1%. There are also nearly 250,000 fewer people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance than in 2010.

The number of young people in work also increased by 77,000 in the last three months. Youth unemployment fell 39,000 in the same period and the number of young people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance fell for the 19th month running.

Today’s figures also show:

• Full-time employment rose 220,000 on the quarter and part-time employment rose 59,000. The number of part-time workers who could not find full-time employment fell this month by 12,000.
• The number of people unemployed for more than a year fell 61,000 in the last three months.
• The number of people claiming JSA fell 24,000 on the month – the 14th consecutive monthly fall. There are now nearly 250,000 fewer people claiming JSA than in 2010.
• There were nearly 570,000 job vacancies between October to December 2013, an increase of 75,000 from a year earlier.