Employment reaches record level
Thu 17 Apr 2008
16/04/2008
The largest annual increases in employment have been announced by the Department for Work and Pensions. New figures issued by the Office for National Statistics showed employment reached 29.5 million, the highest on record since 1997. "More people now than ever are in work," said Stephen Timms, minister for employment and welfare reform, "while unemployment continues to fall - showing strong performance in spite of the current global economic uncertainties." Half of the national increase was due to a spurt in the number of older people in employment, the ONS figures showed. The number of vacancies increased by 12,000 to a record 687,000 and redundancies fell 17,000 to a record low of 106,000. Mr Timms said older workers benefited the economy and brought "skill and experience" to the workforce. The government is looking to extend the pension age to 68, as part of its reform of the UK pensions system.
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