Unemployment up as job vacancies fall

THE UK unemployment rate has risen above the 5% threshold, as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released damning figures that are likely to unsettle Labour government ministers ahead of the Christmas break.

- MAURICIO ALENCAR

The ONS reported a decrease of 22,000 in the number of payrolled employees in September, while the unemployment rate reached 5.1% for the period from August to October.

An early estimate indicated a further drop of 38,000 payrolled employees in November. On the other hand, public sector employment increased over the three months and reached a record high of over four million in central government in September.

An additional two million people are employed in local government.

The data also highlighted a continued decline in the number of vacancies, with a reduction of approximately 77,000 in the three months to November compared to the same period last year.