Nick Clegg responds to labour market statistics: January 2015
The Deputy Prime Minister has made a statement on employment figures released today that show an increase in the number of people in work.
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The latest employment figures show that the number of people in work rose 37,000 this quarter and by 512,000 on the year, bringing total employment to a new record of 30.8 million.
The unemployment rate has fallen below 6% for the first time since 2008, down 1.3% percentage points on the year to 5.8%. There are now 1.91 million people unemployed.
The female employment rate is also at a new record high – reaching 68.2%, and there are a record 14.4 million women in work.
Job vacancies have risen by 127,000 to hit a 14-year record high. There are around 700,000 job opportunities across the country. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that regular pay was up 1.8% and private sector pay was up 2.2%.
The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:
Today’s job figures are further proof that the economy is growing stronger. With a new record of 30.8 million people in jobs; more women in work than ever before; wages rising; and prices low due to inflation, it is encouraging to see the recovery is helping hardworking families up and down the country.
The coalition government is building a stronger economy – shifting away from an over-reliance on the city of London and creating thousands of jobs for people across Britain.