Unemployment figures fall but work quality called into question

Yesterday’s ONS statistics show that UK unemployment is currently at its lowest in 43 years - yet the stats have raised concerns surrounding the quality of work.

According to labour market statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) unemployment is now at 4.2%, down from 4.6% a year earlier. This equates to 32.4million in work – 440,000 more than a year earlier.

Ian Brinkley, Acting Chief Economist at CIPD, added that in part these impressive stats could be put down to poor quality work and should be looked at more carefully.

“Employment growth has become much more dependent on part time work, so total hours worked have fallen,” he said. “Female part-time employment makes up more than a third of the annual increase in employment, which may suggest that employers are being forced to offer more flexible hours to attract more applicants against the backdrop of a tightening labour market.