Mubasher: The UK Labour Force Survey estimates indicated that the number of working people rose in the period between December 2017 to February 2018 and in the March-May period of this year, leading a decline in the unemployed population.

In the period between March to May, the number of employed people across the UK rose by 137,000 to 32.40 million, from the previous three-month period. Year-on-year, the number increased by 388,000, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Tuesday.

As for the UK's employment rate, the number of employed people aged from 16 to 64 years surged to 75.7% in the March-May period of 2018 from 74.9% in the same period of 2017, marking “the highest since comparable records began in 1971.”

The unemployed population, on the other hand, reached 1.41 million during the same period, falling by 12,000 from the figure recorded in the previous three-month period, with a year-on-year decrease of 116,000, the ONS stated.

The overall UK unemployment rate fell to 4.2% in the March-May period of 2018 from 4.5% in the comparative period of 2017, marking the joint lowest rate since 1975.

The rate of inactivity was 21.0% in the three months, which is lower than 21.5% recorded in the same period of the previous year, while the number of economically inactive people aged from 16 to 64 years reached 8.64 million, 86,000 fewer than the preceding three months and 184,000 lower than the same period of the prior year.

However, the average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, grew 2.7% in nominal terms, not adjusted for price inflation, compared to the same period last year.

The average weekly earnings, including bonuses, rose 2.5% on the year in the period between March to May, losing momentum from the previous three month period when they grew by 2.6%, and recording its weakest since the three months to November.

In real terms, which means they were adjusted for price inflation, average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, grew 0.4% year-on-year during the same period.