UK unemployment falls to 4.2% in Oct

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - The unemployment rate in the UK has fallen to 4.2% as of October -- 0.4 percentage points lower than the previous quarter, according to data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday.

"August to October estimates show a continuing recovery in the labour market," the ONS said in its announcement of the 4.2% figure, which stands for nearly 1.4 million people, down from 4.3% in the three months to the end of September.

The data showed the number of workers on company payrolls up by 257,000 in November from a month earlier, representing the largest monthly rise in payroll employment on record since 2014.

Employment in the UK is estimated at 75.5%, 1.1 percentage points lower than before the coronavirus pandemic.

The economic inactivity rate was projected at 21.2%, which was 1 percentage point higher than the pre-pandemic and 0.1 percentage point higher than the previous quarter.​​​​​​​