Jobless total falls in region - but up in UK

THE number of unemployed people in the north west has dropped by 2,000, new figures have revealed.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of jobless people dropped to 146,000 in the period between July and September.

Nationally, however, unemployment has increased by 21,000 even though record numbers of people are in work.

The jobless total rose to 1.38 million in the three months to September after a big increase in the number of men out of work.

Employment continued to increase, up by 23,000 to a record high of 32.4 million.

Other figures showed a record fall in the number of non-EU nationals working in the UK, down by 132,000 to 2.25 million in the latest quarter compared with a year ago.

The fall, the biggest since records began in 1997, was driven by fewer Eastern Europeans working in the UK. The total has now fallen for the last three quarters, down from the highest level of 2.4 million a year ago.

The UK’s jobless rate is now 4.1 per cent, up by 0.1pc on the previous quarter but 0.2pc lower than a year ago. The increase in both unemployment and employment is explained by the UK’s rising population.

The ONS also reported that average earnings increased by 3pc in the year to September, up from 2.8pc the previous month.