Latest figures show that the unemployment rate has also fallen to 7.6%, 2.47 million, down 0.2%.
The figures show that 30 million are in work and unemployment has fallen by 48,000 in the last year, while long term unemployment has dropped by 19,000 in the last three months.
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The figures released by the Office National Statistics show the number of young people in work has increased by 50,000 over the last three months, and youth unemployment has dropped by 13,100 while those working in retirement is up by 30,000 to 1.04 million which translates to 1 in 10 over 65’s now officially working.
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The unemployment rate of the economically active population fell to 7.6%, its lowest rate in more than three years while the actual number of people in work is 29.95 million as the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance – fell by 41,700 to 1.31 million in October.
Figures show that unemployment in the north west has fallen by 1,000 and in the region fell to 283,000 for the period between July to September, equating to to 8.3 per cent of the working population.
In Greater Manchester figures show that 69,200 people were claiming JSA in October – a fall of 3,300 when compared to September; JSA claimants aged between 16-24 in Greater Manchester, also fell on a monthly basis by 1,200 to around 17,900.
The BBC news helps us to understand what is classified as ‘unemployment’:
- A person is classed as unemployed if not only out of work, but also actively looking for work and available to start work within a fortnight
- Unemployment figures are based on a survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics. They show the average number of people unemployed over a three-month period
- A new survey is done every month, but comparisons are made between separate three-month periods, not overlapping ones. e.g. April-June v Jan-March, not April-June v March-May
- The ONS also publishes the claimant count which shows the number of people receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) in a particular month. That figure comes from information supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions