UK employment hits record high as wages outstrip inflation

The UK's total unemployment rate has held at 6% in the three months to October, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Employment has continued to rise to a record high of 30.8 million, maintaining the general direction of movement since late 2011 early 2012.

The ONS said that pay for employees in the UK increased by 1.4% including bonuses and by 1.6% excluding bonuses when compared to a year earlier.

The data means that wages, including bonuses, outstripped Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation of 1.3% in the year to October.

The ONS said that the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 in work (the employment rate), was 73.0%, higher than for May to July 2014 (72.8%) and higher than for a year earlier (71.8%).

There were 22.54 million people working full-time, 560,000 more than for a year earlier. There were 8.25 million people working part-time, 28,000 more than for a year earlier.

The study found that there were 1.96 million unemployed people in the UK over the period, translating into a 6% unemployment rate – the rate same as the three months to September and the three months to August

But the rate – the proportion of the economically active population (those in work plus those seeking and available to work) who were unemployed – was lower than for May to July 2014 (6.2%) and lower than for a year earlier (7.4%).

The ONS also said that there were 9.06 million people aged from 16 to 64 who were out of work and not seeking or available to work (known as economically inactive) – little changed compared with May to July 2014 and with a year earlier.

The inactivity rate was 22.3%, unchanged from May to July 2014 and from a year earlier.