Labour market statistics: Unemployment up, inactivity down
The key points from this release are:
The employment rate for those aged from 16 to 64 was 70.3 per cent, up 0.1 on the quarter. There were 29.13 million people in employment aged 16 and over, up 60,000 on the quarter. The unemployment rate was 8.4 per cent of the economically active population, up 0.1 on the quarter. There were 2.67 million unemployed people, up 48,000 on the quarter. The unemployment rate has not been higher since 1995. The inactivity rate for those aged from 16 to 64 was 23.1 per cent, down 0.2 on the quarter. There were 9.29 million economically inactive people aged from 16 to 64, down 78,000 on the quarter.
Total pay (including bonuses) rose by 2.0 per cent on a year earlier, unchanged on the three months to November 2011. Regular pay (excluding bonuses) rose by 2.0 per cent on a year earlier, up 0.1 on the three months to November 2011.
