Unemployment increased by , (leaving 1.) million Britons out of work in three months before coronavirus hit
- UK job vacancies dived by 73, to 1980, in January-March, year -on-year
- Data shows how labor market contracted in face of coronavirus pandemic
Growth in the number of people on firms’ payrolls slowed to 0.8% from 1.1%
Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID (By
Mark Duell for MailOnli ne
Published:
83: BST, (April)
:
Unemployment in Britain increased by , to 1. 67 million in the three months to February – before the coronavirus pandemic gripped the UK.
The official figures from the Office for National Statistics released this morning represent one of the first signs of the impact of the shutdown on jobs, with the manufacturing and retail sectors reporting the largest decline in hiring.
Statisticians also told how UK job vacancies dived by 73, (to) , in January to March , compared to the same period last year, as the labor market contracted in the face of the infection.
Unemployment measures people without a job who have been actively seeking work within the last four weeks and are available to start work within the next two weeks. This graph shows how the North East had the UK’s highest rate, followed by the West Midlands
Economic inactivity measures people without a job who have not been actively seeking work within the last four weeks and / or they are unable to start work within the next two weeks
Growth in the number of people on firms’ payrolls slowed to 0.8 per cent in March from 1.1 per cent in February, based on preliminary tax data released earlier than usual.
David Freeman, ONS head of labor market statistics, said: ‘Our final data wholly from before the coronavirus restrictions were in place showed the labor market was very robust in the three months to February.
‘For the first time, we have brought forward information on the number of employees in work using PAYE data to cover a more recent period.
‘These experimental statistics show a softening picture in March, but cover the month as a whole, including the period before the coronavirus restrictions were in place.’
It also reported a , monthly increase in the number of unemployment benefit claims for March, far below the median forecast of 352, in a Reuters poll of economists.
The claims data is based on the situation on March , before much of the economy was shut down on March
For the services sector, London had the highest proportion at 100. 5 per cent, while Northern Ireland h ad the lowest proportion at 83 .4 per cent
The UK region with the highest employment rate estimate was the South East at 91. 1 per cent. This rate is a record high for the region, along with a record high employment level
Meanwhile, employment for the quarter to February jumped by , against the same period last year, rising to a record high of 15 million.
The ONS said this was heavily driven by a jump in the number of women in work, which rose by 318, to a record high of (million.)
The number of people in work increased by 352, against the previous quarter, ahead of the increase of , predicted by analysts at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
The ONS said earnings growth slowed to 2.8. per cent in February, falling from 3.1 per cent growth in January.
Workforce jobs measures the number of filled jobs in the economy. For December , there were an estimated million in the UK; this is , 09 more than for September 2019
(For the
) year, the UK region with the highest estimated average actual weekly hours worked (for all workers) was London at .8 hours, followed by Northern Ireland at 5 hours
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: ‘Early figures for March underscore the impact Covid – is likely to have on the labor market.
‘An additional spike in unemployment after the lockdown also seems likely, once government support via the Job Retention Scheme ends.
‘While the unemployment rate in 2020 could average below the rate the UK suffered in the recessions of 2008 s, (s and) – , this is due to the historically low level of unemployment in the UK prior to the current crisis.
‘The rise in unemployment is expected to be proportionally larger than in past recessions owing to the severity of the crisis.’
Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP said: ‘In the midst of the worst public health emergency in our lifetimes, today’s employment figures have already been overtaken by current events – and we’re doing all we can to help families make ends meet.
‘But the statistics – including a 4 per cent unemployment rate – do serve as an important reminder of the strong foundation s we have built as we look to withstand impact on the global economy. ‘
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