The UK unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent in the first quarter of this year from 4.9 percent in the previous three months, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday.
Compared to the same period in 2020, 772,000 fewer people found work with fixed wages. This reflects the impact of the epidemic, as much of the workforce is protected by government job retention measures.
Jobs have soared to an all-time high in the past 12 months as economic activity resumed after deregulation to prevent the spread of Govt-19, the ONS added.
The average income of workers increased by 3.6% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.
According to ONS, the employment rate for the quarter was 75.2%.
Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at ONS, cited the fall in unemployment “as the economy began to reopen.
British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak told the media that the figures show the impact of the measures taken by the government to protect jobs during epidemics.
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