A report from the Office of National Statistics has shown that unemployment in the UK has dropped to 7.7%, down 0.4% from the same period in 2012.


The government figures show the total number of those without jobs dropped by 24,000 to 2.487 million in the last three months, while claimants on jobseeker’s allowance fell by 32,600 in the same period.

Those in part-time work rose to 1.45 million, the highest since records began in 1992 and double the number of five years ago. Some will be working on a freelance basis, whilst others will be on the controversial zero-hours contracts.

The government Minister for Employment Mark Hoban said: "This is a really encouraging set of figures, with the number of people in work rocketing by 80,000 in only three months – a rise driven entirely by a growth in full-time jobs.

"The private sector has created jobs for 1.4 million more people under this government, and there are now more people employed in the private sector than ever before."

The Bank of England has declared that interest rates will not rise until unemployment hits 7%. Average wages are up by 1.1% on 2012.

"The positive figures are a measure of the resilience and the flexibility of Britain's labour market," said David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce.

"The further increase in private sector employment, at a time when the public sector is still shedding jobs, demonstrates yet again that private firms are able to drive the recovery.

"These are all positive signs that suggest the UK economy is turning the corner."