UK employment rises

According to recent figures released from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the employment rate (76.1%) is the highest it has been since 1971.

The number of male employees rose to 77,000 between November 2018 and January 2019 while the number of female employees rose by 144,000 over the same period.

The unemployment rate fell to 4%. This is the first time the rate has been this low since 1975.

The average rate of unemployment in the EU is 6.5%.

The figures also show that average weekly earnings increased by 3.4% (this excludes bonuses).

Job vacancies also increased, from 4,000 to 854,000.