The level of unemployment in Britain has fallen, but the number of people classed as economically inactive has reached a record high, official figures showed today.
The Office for National Statistics said that the number of people out of work fell by 15,000 in the three months to April to 1.68 million, although the figure was still 58,000 higher than a year ago.
The claimant count, which covers people eligible for jobseeker's allowance, fell by 9,300 in May to 880,400, the tenth time the figure has fallen in the past 11 months.
But the figures were overshadowed by a big increase in the number of people classed as economically inactive, which includes students, those looking after a relative, workers who have taken early retirement or given up looking for a job.
The figure increased by 77,000 in the latest quarter to 7.95 million, the highest figure since comparable records began in 1971.
Today's data from the Office for National Statistics also showed that the number of people in work fell by 10,000 in the quarter to April to just over 29 million.
The UK still has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe at 5.4%, but the figure has increased by 0.2% in the past year compared with an average European Union fall of 0.9%.
Average earnings increased by 4% in the year to April, down by 0.4% from the previous month. Excluding bonuses, the figure was unchanged at 3.6%.
