UK unemployment falls by 63,000 to reach 2.33 million

The unemployment rate now stands at 7.2%, down 0.2 percentage points from August to October 2013 and down 0.7 from a year earlier. The ONS said the number of people in employment increased by 105,000 on the quarter and by 459,000 on the year to reach 30.19 million for November 2013 to January 2014. Average pay including bonuses for the quarter was 1.4% higher than a year earlier, with pay excluding bonuses 1.3% higher. Employment in the UK public sector decreased by 159,000 to 5.507 million, almost entirely as a result of the Royal Mail moving from the public sector to the private ...