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

Shoppers who used smart trolley screens spent 32% more, study finds

Aug 13, 2026

Stressful drives to work linked to negative behavior towards colleagues

Aug 13, 2026

Extra payments on oldest loan may cost borrowers more, study finds

Aug 13, 2026

Cisco revenue rises 18% as hyperscaler AI orders reach $9.3 billion

Aug 12, 2026

Bank of America agrees to invest up to $1.9 billion in Jio Credit

Aug 12, 2026

Your salary went up. So why do you feel poorer?

Aug 12, 2026

Fitch keeps India at BBB- as high debt offsets strong growth

Aug 11, 2026

China’s “handcrafted economy” shows how AI could expand one-person businesses

Aug 11, 2026

Joby Aviation agrees $500 million Resonant Sciences deal to expand defense business

Aug 11, 2026

Sony and TSMC agree $4.7 billion capital plan for image-sensor joint venture

Aug 11, 2026

Obesity linked to lower employment and reduced work performance in European review

Aug 11, 2026

Archer to acquire Boeing’s Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid businesses

Aug 10, 2026

CECO orders nearly triple as power projects push backlog above $1.8 billion

Aug 10, 2026

Rocket Lab revenue climbs 62% as backlog reaches record $2.36 billion

Aug 10, 2026

Workforce health becomes a business issue as productivity costs mount

Aug 10, 2026

Why some companies pay much less tax than others

Aug 10, 2026

Cybersecurity study finds convenience can outweigh compliance

Aug 10, 2026

AI system helps robots perform learned tasks up to 3.2 times faster

Aug 8, 2026

Meaningful work may come from accepting career uncertainty

Aug 8, 2026

Nvidia reportedly plans up to $3 billion investment in Lancium

Aug 8, 2026