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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| UK jobless total rises by 25,000 | UK jobless total rises by 25,000 |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| UK unemployment in the April to June period was 1.85 million, up 25,000 from the previous quarter. | UK unemployment in the April to June period was 1.85 million, up 25,000 from the previous quarter. |
| The jobless total had also risen in the three months to May, and it is the first time in two years that there have been two consecutive rises. | The jobless total had also risen in the three months to May, and it is the first time in two years that there have been two consecutive rises. |
| The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures also indicated that earnings growth is slowing. | |
| Earnings including bonuses rose 2.4% from a year ago, compared with 3.2% growth in the March to May period. | |
| Excluding bonuses, pay was up 2.8% in the April to June period, unchanged from the previous figure. | |
| ONS statistician David Freeman said: "This is now the second consecutive time we've reported fewer people in work on the quarter. | ONS statistician David Freeman said: "This is now the second consecutive time we've reported fewer people in work on the quarter. |
| "While it's too early to conclude that the jobs market is levelling off, these figures certainly strengthen that possibility. Growth in pay, however, remains solid." | "While it's too early to conclude that the jobs market is levelling off, these figures certainly strengthen that possibility. Growth in pay, however, remains solid." |
| Pound falls | |
| While the growth in earnings still remains well above the rate of inflation, the weaker-than-expected pay figure pushed the value of the pound down. | |
| Wage growth is one factor the Bank of England has been keeping a close eye on as it considers when to increase UK interest rates. | |
| The ONS figures showed there were 31.03 million people in work during the quarter, down 63,000 from the January to March period but up 354,000 from a year earlier. | |
| The employment rate - the proportion of people aged 16 to 64 in work - was 73.4%, up from 72.8% a year ago. | |
| Some 22.76 million people were in full-time work, the ONS said, up 352,000 from a year ago. The number of part-time workers was 8.27 million, little changed from a year earlier. | |
| Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: "Thanks to our long term economic plan we have already seen two million more people in jobs since 2010. | |
| "On top of that, today's figures show job vacancies at a near record high - evidence of the continued confidence of British businesses, and potential for further growth in the UK economy." | |
| Stephen Timms, Labour's acting shadow work and pensions secretary, said: "The rise in unemployment for a second month in a row is worrying and shows we cannot afford to be complacent about the recovery. | |
| "With productivity stagnating, David Cameron and George Osborne must take bolder action to raise jobseekers' skill levels to get more back into work and help build the high-skilled workforce Britain needs." |