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UK Unemployment Continues to Fall

According to the Office of National Statistics unemployment in the UK, has fallen once again.  Figures reveal that the number of people unemployed in the UK between February and April fell by 43,000 to 1.81 million.

The latest released figures showed that 31.05 million people were now in work, a significant 114,000 more than in the previous three-month period. As a result of the growth, which according to many experts is quicker than expected, the British pound has also grown. Furthermore, female employment hit a record high at 68.6%.

As well as the drop in unemployment, wage growth in the UK hit a four-year high according to the stats, with a wage rise of 2.7% representing the biggest rise since 2011.

Employment Minister Priti Patel welcomed the news saying: "Today's figures confirm that our long-term economic plan is already starting to deliver a better, more prosperous future for the whole of the country, with wages rising, more people finding jobs and more women in work than ever before."

Female Employment

As well as the promising figures for employment overall, the news is much welcomed by female employees. According to latest figures female employment in Scotland is one of the leaders in regards to female unemployment. Indeed, in comparison to the last figures from Scottish employment, the female employment rate was over 70% and somewhat higher than the female employment rate in the rest of the UK.

Among OECD countries, only Norway, Japan and Korea had a lower rate of female unemployment than Scotland in the last quarter of 2014, with the country having a female unemployment rate of 4.1%. The OECD contains 34 countries.

Gender Discrimination

Worryingly, there is still much gender discrimination still occurs in the UK, with many employers admitting that they often do not hire women if they have children with more than a quarter admitting that they fear work will not be their priority.

Minister for youth and women's employment Annabelle Ewing said: "We have recently seen record levels of female employment in Scotland and the gap between male and female employment is also near a record low.

"In addition, we are leading the way with our commitment to 50:50 boards, supporting flexible working patterns to accommodate working parents and carers and other innovative support programmes such as support for women in enterprise, promotion of careers for women in STEM subjects.

"Gender balance isn't just the right thing to do; it makes smart business sense."

She added: "We need however to remove the gender gap entirely, encourage more women into senior positions and to set out in businesses of their own, as well as helping those actively seeking a job into employment.

"We need to champion female role models in every aspect of a business, open every possible pathway into work and debunk the myth that there are jobs specifically for boys or girls."

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If you require legal advice regarding any aspect of employment, whether it be an unfair dismissal, gender discrimination or any other legal advice, contact us today using our online contact form.

 

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