UK unemployed numbers fall by 7,000

According to the latest data released, the total number of people without jobs in the UK fell by 7,000 between May and July.

The Office for National Statistics data showed that the number of unemployed stood at 2.59 million, which is about 8.1 per cent of the population. The data also showed that the number of people dependent on jobseeker's allowance fell by 15,000 to 1.57 million, recording its highest fall since June of 2010.

The average earnings increased by 1.5 per cent till July. However, the average earnings fell 0.3% on the previous month. The number of people employed in the country increased by 236,000 to 29.6 million. In London, the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance fell by a substantial 5,500, indicating that the London 2012 Games played a role in decreasing unemployment in the UK.

The data also showed that the number of part-time workers increased to its highest level since 1992 at 1.42 million. ONS revealed that the number of people employed in the public sector fell by 235,000 to 5.7 million and female unemployment rose by 3,000 during the quarter.