UK unemployment falls by 17,000 to 2.48m

UK unemployment fell by 17,000 in the three months to the end of February to 2.48 million, the first drop since last autumn, official figures show. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of unemployment in the UK had fallen to 7.8%.
Unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds stood at 963,000, with the jobless rate for young people remaining above 20%. The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance rose by 700 in March to 1.45 million, the ONS said. Total pay rose by 2% compared with a year earlier. While the number of unemployed men fell by 31,000 in the three months to the end of February, the number of jobless women rose by 14,000.

BBC Business News
April 11