The employment rate in Britain has reached 75.3 percent, scoring the joint highest since records started in 1971, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported Wednesday.

ONS said figures for the latest quarter year to January 2018 showed 32.5 million people were working, 168,000 more than the previous quarter and over 400,000 higher than a year earlier.

Almost 14.9 million men and 8.9 million women are in full-time jobs. Women outnumber men with part-time jobs, with the figures showing 6.3 million women work part-time, compares to just under 2.3 million men.

The new figures also show that 1.45 million people in Britain are unemployed, a rise of 24,000 over the previous quarter, but 127,000 less than a year earlier. It gives Britain a current unemployment rate of 4.3 percent, down from 4.7 percent for a year earlier, and the joint lowest since 1975.

Senior ONS statistician Matt Hughes said: "Employment and unemployment levels were both up on the quarter, with the employment rate returning to its joint highest ever. 'Economically inactive' people -- those who are neither working nor looking for a job -- fell by their largest amount in almost five and a half years, however.

"Total earnings growth continues to nudge upwards in cash terms. However, earnings are still failing to outpace inflation."

Source:
courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

by Xinhua News Agency

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]