This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46193571

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
UK unemployment edges higher Wages show fastest rise in almost a decade
(35 minutes later)
UK unemployment rose by 21,000 in the three months to September to 1.38 million, according to official Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures. Wages rose at the fastest pace in nearly a decade in the three months to September, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show.
The unemployment rate rose to 4.1% from 4.0%. Compared with a year earlier, wages excluding bonuses, rose by 3.2% - the biggest rise since the end of 2008 and up slightly on the previous quarter.
Wages, excluding bonuses, grew by 3.2% in the same three-month period. The unemployment total went up for the first time this year, rising by 21,000 in the same period to 1.38 million.
ONS senior statistician Matt Hughes said: "The labour market is little changed on the previous three months, though still stronger than it was at this time last year." However, the ONS warned that real wage growth was below the 2015 level.
"With faster wage growth and more subdued inflation, real earnings have picked up noticeably in the last few months. However, real wage growth is below the level seen in 2015, and real wages have not yet returned to their 2008 levels," he added. Adjusting for inflation average weekly earnings increased by 0.9% excluding bonuses.
"The recent uptick in British nationals in work and the decline in workers from the so-called 'A8' eastern European countries both seem to be accelerating." The unemployment rate rose to 4.1% from 4.0% in the period from July to September, mainly because of an increase in the number of men out of work.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. However, the employment total continued to increase - going up by 23,000 to a record high of 32.4 million.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. The unemployment rate of UK nationals (4.2%) was higher than that of EU nationals from the other 27 member countries (3.5%).