Damian has welcomed the news that employment across the UK continues to run at a record high – with 31.8 million people now in work - and that the unemployment rate has fallen to an 11-year low.
Damian, who is also Minister of Employment at the Department for Work and Pensions, said:
“With an unemployment rate of 4.8%, we’re continuing to see a strong UK labour market, with growth fuelled by full-time jobs. Importantly, wages are also continuing to perform strongly with average wages growing by 2.3% over the last year.
“I’m pleased also to see that the number of disabled people in work has increased by 590,000 in the past three years, and that the employment rate of 70.9% for workers aged 50-64 is the highest since records began in 1992.”
The total number of unemployed claimants in East Hampshire remains broadly unchanged at 370, which is 53 per cent lower than 2010.