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Main points for the 3 months ending February 2015

• Comparing the estimates for the 3 months ending February 2015 with those for September to November 2014, employment continued to rise and unemployment continued to fall. These changes maintain the general direction of movement since late 2011/early 2012.
• There were 31.05 million people in work, 248,000 more than for September to November 2014 and 557,000 more than for a year earlier.
• The proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 in work (the employment rate) was 73.4%, the highest since comparable records began in 1971.
• There were 1.84 million unemployed people, 76,000 fewer than for September to November 2014 and 416,000 fewer than for a year earlier.
• The proportion of the economically active population who were unemployed (the unemployment rate) was 5.6%, lower than for September to November 2014 (5.8%) and for a year earlier (6.9%). The economically active population is those in work plus those seeking and available to work.
• There were 8.99 million people aged from 16 to 64 who were out of work and not seeking or available to work (known as economically inactive), 104,000 fewer than for September to November 2014 but 11,000 more than for a year earlier.
• The proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were economically inactive (the inactivity rate) was 22.1%, lower than for September to November 2014 (22.4%) but unchanged compared with a year earlier.
• Comparing the 3 months ending February 2015 with a year earlier, pay for employees in Great Britain increased by 1.7% including bonuses and by 1.8% excluding bonuses.

Get all the tables for this publication in the data section of this publication.