UK employment reaches 13-year high

UK employment has reached the highest levels in 13 years, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics.

The number of people in employment increased by 101,000 in the previous quarter, reaching a figure of 27.91 million. The employment rate rose to 74.7% of people of working age, the highest rate since 1990. An increase in part-time employment accounted for much of the growth.

Average earnings growth also rose from 3.2% in April to 3.4% in May.

Unemployment fell to 1,474,000 in the three months to May, representing a reduction of 20,000, and the unemployment rate for women reached an all-time low.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance showed a rise of 1,700 in June, bringing the total number of claimants to 952,000.

The news comes as Norwich Union announces that it will be cutting 900 jobs in the UK, 600 of which will take the form of compulsory redundancies.

Its parent company, Aviva, insisted that the measures were not linked to the recent creation of a call centre in India.