Britain has a joint record high employment rate of 75.6% with 32.39m people now in work, according to official statistics released today (12 June).
The unemployment rate is now 4.2% – down 0.4% since last year – with the number of people out of work falling by 115,000.
The figures published by the Office for National Statistics come as Black, Asian and minority ethnic employment (BAME) is at a record high. The BAME employment gap – the difference between the employment rates of the ethnic minority population and the overall population – is at an all-time low of 10.1% points.
Minister for Employment, Alok Sharma said:
“At 75.6%, the employment rate has never been higher, with more people in work than ever before. And with a continued fall in unemployment, we have a strong jobs market that’s set 17 new employment rate records since 2010.
“It’s also very welcome news that the ONS has reported that regular pay has outpaced inflation for the third month in a row.”
The increase in personal allowances means that the typical basic rate taxpayer is now paying £1,075 less in income tax than in 2010. Thanks to the National Living Wage full time minimum wage workers have had an annual boost of £2,000 since 2016.”
