UK unemployment rate hits lowest level since 1975

LONDON-Agence France-Presse

Britain’s unemployment rate has struck a new 44-year low, official data showed on Aug. 16, as the uncertainty of Brexit boosts temporary hirings.The rate dipped to 4.4 percent in the three months to June to record the lowest level since 1975, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement. It had stood at 4.5 percent in the quarter to May.

A total of 1.48 million people were recorded as unemployed at the end of June, down 157,000 compared with a year earlier, although with wages growth struggling to keep pace with UK inflation.

“The headline figures shout growth and stability -- and yet there’s a huge amount of uncertainty on the ground, particularly due to Brexit,” said David Morel, head of employment firm Tiger Recruitment.

 “Against a backdrop of political and economic uncertainty, people are choosing to stay put rather than speculatively look for other jobs.”   

But he noted that “Brexit-related and broader economic uncertainty” was supporting the temporary jobs market as employers “have put their permanent hiring on hold.”