This month’s employment statistics show employment remains at a record high with 31.77 million in work, while unemployment stands at 4.9 per cent – the lowest for over a decade.
It’s great to see another record-breaking set of figures out this month with the unemployment rate at a 10-year low and wages growing healthily
We know that there are fewer children living in workless households too, which underlines our efforts to help people move into employment and to build a Britain that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.
But there’s more to do, and we will continue to work with businesses to help more people take up the wealth of opportunities out there in the economy.
Key statistics
Employment: 77 million (up 559,000 over the past year and up over 2.7 million since 2010).
Employment rate: 5 per cent (up 1.0 points over the past year and up 4.3 points since 2010).
Unemployment: 63 million (down 190,000 over the past year and down 878,000 since 2010).
Unemployment rate: 9 per cent (down 0.6 points over the past year and down 3.1 points since 2010).
Claimant count (Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit not in work): 771,000 in July (down 21,300 on last year and down 723,800 since 2010).
Wages: Pay including bonuses rose 2.3 per cent over the last year with private sector pay rose 2.4 per cent. Inflation over the same period remained low.
Labour always try and tell Britain that all these jobs are part-time, insecure and poorly paid – in fact:
Over the last year, over three quarters of the rise in employment has been from full-time work.
Since 2010, 95 per cent of the growth in employment has come from permanent employees or people working for themselves.
Real wages are continuing to rise strongly.
It was Labour that left people with fewer jobs and fewer opportunities:
The number of unemployed people increased by one million in Labour’s last term in office.
The number of people on unemployment benefit rose by 82 per cent in Labour’s last term.
Youth unemployment rose by 44 per cent under Labour – meaning young people were not getting the skills they need to get on in life.
The number of households where no member had ever worked nearly doubled under Labour.
This month’s figures are a testament to the hard work of millions across the UK and the efforts of the Conservative Government led by David Cameron and now Theresa May.
The Conservatives launched the Forces’ Help to Buy scheme in April 2014. This was aimed at helping members of the Armed Forces afford a deposit to buy their first home. Already this has ensured that 10,000 personnel have already been successful. For many being able to have a home of their own is a dream come So the Government is now extending the scheme until 2018 so that more can benefit.
It is worth remembering that fewer than half of the Armed Forces own their own home. Overall home ownership rate in he Armed Forces is around 47 per cent. Amongst non-officer other ranks such as non-commissioned officers, warrant officer ranks and below only 40 per cent own their own home, falling to only 30 per cent for other ranks in the Army.
their families the stability that many of us take for granted.
