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| UK unemployment falls by 39,000 | UK unemployment falls by 39,000 |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| UK unemployment fell by 39,000 to 1.61m in the three months to the end of February, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). | |
| The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in March fell by 1,200 people to 794,300, the fewest claiming such benefits since 1975. | |
| Average earnings increased by 3.7% in the year to February. | |
| The jobless rate is a key measure of how the economy is weathering the problems in the credit markets. | |
| The manufacturing sector was the hardest hit, with 27,000 jobs lost in the three months to February, taking employment in the sector to the lowest since records began in 1978. | The manufacturing sector was the hardest hit, with 27,000 jobs lost in the three months to February, taking employment in the sector to the lowest since records began in 1978. |
| The ONS also said the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in February rose by 600, instead of a previously reported fall of 2,800. | |
| This marks the first rise since September 2006. | |
| Elsewhere, there was more cause for optimism as the quarter saw the fewest redundancies since 1995 and the number of job vacancies rose strongly. | Elsewhere, there was more cause for optimism as the quarter saw the fewest redundancies since 1995 and the number of job vacancies rose strongly. |
| Analysts greeted the figures cautiously. | |
| "Overall, the labour market remains in fairly good health â but the unambiguous robustness seen just a few months ago is starting to fade," said Vicky Redwood, an economist at Capital Economics. |