UK unemployment total falls to 2.5m

UK unemployment fell in the three months to December, while the number in work also jumped.

The jobless total fell by 14,000 between October and December to 2.5 million, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The number in work rose by 154,000 to 29.7 million. More than 580,000 more people are employed than a year ago.

Overall, the ONS said there were 29.73 million people in the UK in employment, of which 73% were working full-time and 27% were working part-time.

In the three months to December, the unemployment rate fell to 7.8% – down from 7.9% in the previous quarter.

The figures also show how much the UK economy has been transformed since the financial crisis and its subsequent recession in 2008.