UK employment at highest point since records began

The employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 who were in work reached 74.1 percent, joint-highest amount since records began in 1971.

According to the Office of National Statistics, there are 28,000 fewer unemployed people than August to October 2015 and 171,000 fewer than the previous year.

The employment rate has been generally increasing since early 2012 and for the latest time period, the three months to January 2016, it reached a joint record high of 74.1 percent.

There were 31.42 million people in work, 116,000 more than for August to October 2015 and 478,000 more than for a year earlier.

Average earnings increased by 2.1 percent in the year to January including bonuses, 0.2 percent higher than previously.

The amount of people working within the UK accounted for by non-UK nationals also saw an increase from 3.8 percent to 10.2 percent.