Figures out today show the employment rate has reached a record high with 31.7 million people in work, while the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest in over a decade.
Richard Benyon commented, ‘We may be entering a period of significant change but these figures show that, when it comes to our jobs market, we’re in a position of strength. There are over 2.6 million more people in work than there were in 2010, the number of workless households is down to an all-time low, there are 750,000 vacancies in the economy and wages are rising too.
‘In West Berkshire, unemployment is down by 73% since 2010, which represents well over 1,000 people now in work who would not otherwise have had this opportunity.
‘I am particularly pleased to see that the proportion of 16-24 year olds who have left full-time education and are unemployed has never been lower. And that 86 per cent of 16-24 year olds are in full-time study or work – the highest proportion on record.
‘It is important also to note that over the last year, two-thirds of the rise in employment has been from full-time work and since 2010, 95 per cent of the growth in employment has come from permanent employees or people working for themselves.
‘Our job now is to build on this success story to create a country that works for everyone, where people can benefit from the opportunities that are being created regardless of who they are or where they come from.’