UK unemployment rate holds steady at 7.7%

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK unemployment fell further in the three months to April.

The ONS said unemployment fell by 88,000 in the three month period to 2.430 million – the biggest fall since August 2000.

The latest figures means the unemployment rate remained flat at 7.7%.

However, the number of Britons claiming jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) rose in May, by 19,600, to 1.49 million, said the ONS.

This represented the fastest pace since July 2009 and was far higher than the 7,000 rise expected by analysts.

In the meantime, wage growth slowed in the three-month period, with pay excluding bonuses increasing by 2% - the weakest pace since August 2010.

In comparison, unemployment in the US stands at 9.1%, Japan’s unemployment rate is 4.7%, while in the euro zone, it is 9.9%.

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