According to figures issued by the National Office of Statistics, in the period Oct-Dec 2014 there were 1.86 million unemployed people which was 97,000 fewer than for the July to September 2014 period and 486,000 fewer than for a year earlier.
Comparing the estimates for October to December 2014 with those for July to September 2014, employment continued to rise and unemployment continued to fall. These changes maintain the general direction of movement since late 2011/early 2012. As at December 2014 there were 30.90 million people in work. This was 103,000 more than for July to September 2014 and 608,000 more than for a year earlier.
The unemployment rate in the UK now stands at 5.7%, one of the lowest rates across the EU.
