Unemployment down, new figures show

There has been a decline in the number of unemployed people in the UK for the first time in 18 months.

According to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics, unemployment for the three months to November 2009 stood at 2.46 million, a drop of 7,000 on data from the previous quarter.

In addition, the amount of people claiming jobseekers allowance dropped to 1.61 million in December.

The news means the unemployment rate remains unchanged at 7.8 per cent and the announcement was described as a ’welcome surprise’ by Caxton FX, which noted that experts had predicted another increase.

’Today’s figures will come as further evidence that the UK labour market is stabilising,’ remarked senior analyst for the company Duncan Higgins.

He added that falling unemployment is a sign that conditions in the country’s economy are beginning to improve, noting that the pound climbed against the euro after the statistics were made public.ADNFCR-2318-ID-19570175-ADNFCR