Employment Reaches Record High, Report Reveals

Posted on: 17 Jul 2017

It’ll surely be cheering for those seeking FMCG jobs and others that employment in the UK has now hit a record high, the highest it’s been since official records began back in 1971 in fact.

This is according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Department of Work and Pensions, revealing that unemployment has also dropped to 4.5 per cent – which is the lowest rate seen since 1975. Interestingly female employment is also on the rise, now at 70.4 per cent, and youth unemployment has fallen by 377,000 since 2010.

Minister of employment Damian Hinds commented on the results, saying: “Unemployment is low, employment is high and there are over three quarters of a million vacancies. This is great news for Britain and for millions of ordinary working families. We’re committed to delivering a welfare system which transforms lives and offers help to those who need it most, whatever their background or wherever they are from.”

Although it’s good news that unemployment is down, real wages appear to be proving problematic even now. The ONS has also shown that real earnings have dipped by 0.5 per cent, which prompted general secretary of the ONS Frances O’Grady to say that ministers now need to devise a plan to push real wages up in both the public and private sectors.

She suggested removing pay restrictions for public sector workers and increasing the minimum wage to £10 as soon as possible. Concentrating on insecurity at work will also help, since those who feel more secure in their jobs are potentially more likely to ask for the pay rises they feel they deserve.