There are over 400,000 more people in work than a year ago, and a record number of people working in the private sector, reflecting the success of the government’s reforms to rebalance the economy and help more people into work.

In further signs of the strengthening UK jobs market, there are nearly three-quarters of a million vacancies in the economy at any one time and almost 90  percent of the rise in employment over the last year is from full-time work.

Real pay (excluding bonuses) has risen by 2.9  percent on average – the fastest annual rise since 2002 – meaning hardworking people have more money in their pockets.

Employment Minister Priti Patel said:“As part of our one nation government, we want everyone to succeed and achieve their full potential, and through our reforms we are doing just that. With a record number of people working in the private sector and wages rising, it is clear that the remarkable jobs success that we have seen under this government is continuing.”

With wages continuing to rise and over 450,000 more people in private sector jobs than this time last year, this one nation government is delivering on the commitment to ensure the economic recovery is felt by all sections of society.

Unemployment has fallen by almost 200,000 in the last year, as the number of people looking for work for longer than a year has fallen to its lowest level in six years.

Youth unemployment has continued to fall, and is down by 215,000 since 2010, while the number of economically inactive people fell by 65,000 in the last year, as more people look for work or are in work.

Other key employment statistics today show:

There are a near record 31.1m people working in the UK, with 80  percent working in the private sector; There are over 2 million more people in work since 2010; Over 450,000 more people are in jobs in the private sector over the last year alone; Unemployment has also fallen by 198,000 in the last year; Long-term unemployment has fallen by more than 240,000 since 2010, to its lowest level in six years; There are 740,000 vacancies – an increase of nearly 60,000 since last year; The claimant count has fallen by over 180,000 over the last year

Women

Female employment is at a record number, 14.55m, and a record employment rate at 68.8  percent. Employment rose nearly 190,000 in the past year. Female economic inactivity has also fallen to a record low.

Young people

Youth unemployment has fallen by 32,000 in the past year and has fallen by 215,000 since 2010. The number of young people claiming unemployment benefits is close to the lowest level since the 1970s. The employment rate for young people who have left full-time education is at its highest in 10 years – 73.7 percent.

International

The UK’s employment rate has seen the largest rise of any G7 economy over the last year.

Vacancies

The number of vacancies rose by almost 60,000 over the past year. There are now 740,000 vacancies in the economy at any one time, which is more than before the recession.

Supporting people into work

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) offers a range of support across the country to get people off benefits and into jobs through our network of over 700 Jobcentres.

These include work experience, employer-led training, work placements, skills training, the Work Programme, and help for budding entrepreneurs through the New Enterprise Allowance.

DWP has also introduced the ‘Claimant Commitment’ in all British Jobcentres – it is a more rigorous commitment for benefit claimants based on the person’s individual circumstances and clearly sets out what their responsibilities are while job hunting. Latest figures show that more than a million jobseekers have now signed the commitment.