jobs

UK unemployment rate at six-year low, wages climbing up

Written by Joseph Nordqvist

Published: 00:38, January 22, 2015

The unemployment rate in the UK has dropped to six-year low and wages are climbing up, according to official data released on Wednesday.

The UK is gaining jobs at the fastest rate in Europe.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the British unemployment rate now stands at 5.8% of the adult working population. There are 30.8 million people in work and the number of people out of work dropped by 58,000 to 1.91 million.

Average earnings excluding bonuses gained 1.8% in the September to November period, from a year earlier.

The data revealed that south-east England has the highest rate of employment, at 76.6%, while Wales had the lowest, at 68.7%.

North-east England had the highest unemployment rate, at 8.5%, while south-west England had the lowest unemployment rate, at 4.4%.

Economists have also said that there will be record-low borrowing costs this year, as the Bank of England unanimously voted to hold interest rates at 0.50 percent.

The economy has certainly lifted and David Cameron is using the data as evidence that his long-term economic plan is working.

The Conservatives have now placed the performance in the British economy at the heart of their campaign.

Mr Cameron said:

“This is another strong set of figures showing more people in work, showing our unemployment rate in Britain is now around half the level in the eurozone and of course behind these figures lie real stories of people who have been able to find a job, to get work and to provide the security and stability for themselves and their families that I want for everyone in this country and it demonstrates that our long-term economic plan is working.”

“Nine out of 10 of the jobs that have been created in the last year are full-time jobs and we’re helping every family by cutting their taxes and making sure people can earn £10,000 before they pay any income tax at all. With an economy that is growing, a long-term plan that is working, with more and more people able to find work, I believe we are delivering the stability and security for families that I want for everyone in our country.”

The Centre for Economics and Business Research said:

“Earnings growth is continuing to pick up. Average regular pay over the three months to November was 1.8% higher than a year ago, the fastest rate of pay growth since 2012. With inflation tumbling and in our view likely to veer into negative territory over the coming months as prices for food, energy and transport fall, Cebr expects living standards to rise significantly in 2015.”

Joseph Nordqvist Avatar

Other News

Plumbing or college: weighing pay, training and AI exposure

Sep 13, 2026

Why more advanced VR equipment does not always feel more real

Sep 13, 2026

VR pilot training shows promise before a student’s first real flight

Sep 13, 2026

Family businesses face a gap between succession plans and readiness

Sep 13, 2026

EU keeps battery recycling targets as industry prepares for tougher recovery rules

Sep 13, 2026

UK firms report patchy recovery while hiring plans stay flat

Sep 13, 2026

Positron wins new backing for an AI chip built around cheaper memory

Sep 13, 2026

EU employment rises, but 24 million people still want more work

Sep 13, 2026

Why the Internet of Things still matters for businesses

Sep 12, 2026

Deep discounts can weaken later purchase interest, study finds

Sep 12, 2026

Household saving study finds large differences in how people value the future

Sep 12, 2026

Cybersecurity budget research puts expected losses ahead of spending targets

Sep 12, 2026

UK trade deficit narrows to £9 billion over three months

Sep 12, 2026

Munters expands Virginia factory to make data center chillers locally

Sep 12, 2026

Digital literacy report calls for skills training beyond network coverage

Sep 12, 2026

Berkeley’s healthy checkout rule linked to lower soda sales, study finds

Sep 12, 2026

France cuts growth forecast to 0.5% and announces fresh budget measures

Sep 12, 2026

Kroger cuts sales outlook as online growth helps support earnings

Sep 12, 2026

Gasoline pushes US monthly inflation higher ahead of Fed meeting

Sep 12, 2026

How AI is changing the pharmaceutical industry

Sep 11, 2026