UK unemployment falls

job centre plus UKUK unemployment has fallen by 102,000 to 1.86 million in the three months to January, official figures show.

The unemployment rate remains at 5.7% but the number of people in work is at an all-time high, the office for national statistics said.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance also fell to 791,200, its lowest level since 2008 reported BBC.

Average earnings in the three months to January, including bonuses, rose 1.8% compared with a year earlier.

Regular pay, which excludes bonus payments, rose by 1.6%, in the same period compared with a year ago.

It means earnings continue to outstrip consumer price index (CPI) inflation, which official figures showed fell to a record low of 0.3% in January.

The employment figures come as Chancellor George Osborne delivered his final Budget before the general election .

Mr Osborne hailed the latest employment figures, claiming they marked another “economic milestone” and “confirmed a new record high employment rate, alongside a claimant count that has not been lower since 1975”.