(…) The jobless total fell 3,000 to 2.46m in the three months to December, the second successive fall in the monthly figures, according to the Office for National Statistics. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.8 per cent of the workforce.But the number claiming jobseekers’ allowance rose 23,500 to 1.64m in January, the highest level since April 1997. Economists had been expecting a fall of 10,000 after a revised drop of 9,600 last month. The increase was the biggest since last July. (…)

(…) The number of people classed as economically inactive rose 72,000 on the quarter to 8.08m, the highest since records began in 1971, driven by a rise in the number of students – highlighting the extent to which young people are turning to study to avoid the dole.(…)


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