UK unemployment levels drop to 2.32 million in Q4, 2013, ONS report reveals

Figures obtained from a recent report issued by the Office for National Statistics suggest that unemployment in the UK dropped by 167,000 to 2.32 million in the three months to November, the biggest quarterly fall since 1997.

According to a media news report on the topic, the data received from the ONS would suggest that the employment rate for people aged 16 and above soared to 72 per cent, representing 30.15 million people in work.

Unfortunately, it’s not all good news, since average weekly earnings (both including and excluding bonuses) between September and November only rose by 0.9 per cent compared with the year before.

However, Government officials have welcomed the news, with Employment Minister Esther McVey saying: “Creating jobs and getting people into employment are central to our economic plan to build a stronger, more competitive economy, so it is very encouraging news that we’ve seen a record-breaking rise in employment over the last three months – the largest ever.

“With the highest quarterly fall in unemployment since 1997, it’s clear that the government’s long-term economic plan to get people off benefits and into work so they can secure their future is proving successful.”

Neil Carberry, CBI director of employment and skills, said: “These figures show that our jobs market is working well, with unemployment dropping faster than in less flexible countries.

“It’s particularly encouraging to see so many people finding full-time jobs, with more people moving from part-time to full-time work, and an increase in young people finding jobs as well.”

Companies who plan to take on additional staff should also seriously consider implementing a very solid and reliable workforce management system, and this is specifically where Time & Attendance UK could put its experience to very good use.

We offer a complete smart card time and attendance system that includes European Working Time Directive checking and reporting, Access Control, Fire Roll Call, and also makes good use of mobile and wireless technology so that your time and attendance information can be accessed from anywhere.
Moreover, our specific position within this market segment, as well as proven experience in the field enables us to thoroughly customize our systems in order to meet all of your requirements, whether you’re an enterprise customer with multiple sites or a smaller business.
Smart card technology allows your employees to quickly clock in and out, with the time and attendance software accurately recording attendances.
Furthermore, our all-in-one, Smart Card Time & Attendance recording workstation incorporates such features as job booking, job costing, labour hours analysis and security management.
If you want to find out more about the range of affordable, reliable solutions provided by Time & Attendance UK, just contact our dedicated product team, they’ll be more than happy to answer any question you might have.