Thanks to the Conservatives, Britain now has a record number of people in work. Unemployment is below 2 million after falling by 538,000 in one year. This is the biggest one-year fall since records began. More and more people are getting the security of a good job and a regular pay packet.
The Conservatives are backing small businesses and enterprise with lower jobs taxes and better infrastructure. We are reforming welfare so work always pays. And across the country, business owners are working hard to build something of their own and create jobs for others.
Our long-term economic plan is building a stronger, healthier economy. But there is still more to do, and there are risks in the global economy which could threaten Britain. So it is vital we carry on working through the plan which is creating jobs and securing a better future for Britain.
According to the Office for National Statistics, comparing the estimates for June to August 2014 with those for March to May 2014, there were 30.76 million people in work. This was 46,000 more than for March to May 2014. Comparing June to August 2014 with a year earlier, there were 736,000 more people in work.
The proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 in work (the employment rate), was 73.0%, slightly higher than for March to May 2014 (72.9%) and higher than for a year earlier (71.5%).
There were 1.97 million unemployed people, 154,000 fewer than for March to May 2014 and 538,000 fewer than a year earlier. This is the largest annual fall in unemployment on record. Records for annual changes in unemployment begin in 1972.
The unemployment rate continued to fall, reaching 6.0% for June to August 2014, the lowest since late 2008. The unemployment rate is the proportion of the economically active population (those in work plus those seeking and available to work) who were unemployed.
We in Poole are more fortunate. In the Poole Unitary Authority, the number of claimant unemployed is 1,129, which is 1.2% of working age residents.