These figures reflect the rather mixed picture of recent months. Employment is up by nearly 200,000 on the year and I am pleased to see the claimant count falling for the first time in a year. However, the rise in ILO unemployment shows the need to continue to be vigilant.
Recent figures have been erratic and this quarter's are disappointing. However, taking the year as a whole the number of people in work is up by over 200,000.