Jobless total jumps as income slows
JOBS: Unemployment has increased by the biggest amount in almost five years while earnings continue to grow more slowly than prices.
There were 1.47m people out of work in the quarter to December 2017, an increase of 46,000, giving a jobless rate of 4.4 per cent. The quarterly rise was the biggest since 2013.
UNEMPLOYMENT HAS increased by the biggest amount in almost five years while earnings continue to grow more slowly than prices, new figures have revealed.
There were 1.47m people out of work in the quarter to December 2017, an increase of 46,000, giving a jobless rate of 4.4 per cent.
The quarterly rise was the biggest since early 2013, although unemployment is 123,000 lower than a year ago, according to the figures published yesterday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Yorkshire registered the biggest percentage rise across the UK with an increase of 5.1 per cent as 136,000 people are unemployed in the region – a jump of 5,000.
Despite the increase nationally – the first jobless jump since the summer of 2016 – the number of people in work increased by 88,000 to 32.1m.
Union leaders warned that the Government had “missed a huge opportunity” to ban zero-hours contracts as they warned many are still caught in jobs offering little security.
However, Employment Minister Alok Sharma hit back, and maintained that the UK’s economy remains strong despite the rise in unemployment.
He said: “High employment rates are a reliable feature of today’s economy – and this is an incredible achievement. It is equally important that, across society, everyone has the opportunity to get a good job, and get on in life.
“The figures show that this Government is building a fairer economy that supports people from all backgrounds to get into work.
“We are closing the BAME and gender employment gaps, and people across the country are accessing new opportunities.”
Other figures revealed that the number of non-UK nationals from outside the EU working in this country fell by 68,000 to 1.17m in the quarter to last December compared with the previous year.
The number of non-UK nationals from EU countries working in this country increased by 101,000 to 2.35m, the smallest rise since 2013.
The number of workers on zero-hours contracts in their main job fell by 4,000 to 901,000 in the quarter to last December compared with the previous year.
The claimant count, which includes people on Jobseeker’s Allowance and the unemployment element of Universal Credit, fell by 7,200 last month to 823,000. Average earnings increased by 2.5 per cent in the year to December, unchanged from the previous month.
The number of people classed as economically inactive, including students, those on long-term sick leave, who have taken early retirement or given up looking for work, fell by 109,000 to 8.7m, giving a rate of 21 per cent.
Job vacancies were up by 24,000 to a record 823,000.
The TUC’s General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Nobody should have to rely on a zerohours contract for their main job, but over 900,000 workers remain stuck in that situation. Most people on zero-hours contracts want the security of guaranteed hours. They are not on them by choice.
“The Prime Minister missed a huge opportunity to ban unfair zero-hours contracts earlier this month. Her feeble response to the Taylor Review means zerohours workers will remain at the beck and call of bad bosses.”
Nobody should have to rely on a zero-hours contract TUC’s General Secretary Frances O’Grady criticises insecure working