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.
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.