Labour force survey, seasonally-adjusted figures, December 2006

Adjusted for seasonal variations, the number of employed people increased by 21 000 from September (as measured by the average of the three months from August to October) to December (as measured by the average of the three months from November to January). The upward trend in employment which began in the summer of 2005, thereby continued to the end of 2006. Adjusted for seasonal variations, the number of employed people increased by 104 000 from June 2005 to December 2006.

Unemployment rate at the same level as the previous low

The number of unemployed people fell by 10 000 from September (as measured by the average of the three months from August to October) to December (as measured by the average of the three months from November to January). This brought the unemployment rate down to 2.8 per cent, from 3.2 per cent in September. The unemployment rate peaked at 4.9 per cent in mid-2005, and has fallen steadily since. At 2.8 per cent, it is now at the same level as the previous low in early 1999.

Seasonally adjusted figures of people registered unemployed with the Labour and Welfare Organisation, show a decline of 5 000 from September to December.

Unemployment rate down in most EU Member States

From September to December, the unemployment rate fell in 16 of the 27 EU Member States. The unemployment rate for the EU15 fell from 7.2 to 7.1 per cent. Several large EU countries saw a decrease in unemployment during this period: In Germany, the unemployment rate fell from 8.5 to 7.9 per cent, and in France from 8.8 to 8.5 per cent. In the UK, the increase in unemployment appears to have levelled off. In Denmark, the unemployment rate fell from 3.5 to 3.2 per cent from September to December, following the downward trend that began in the autumn of 2004. The US also saw a decrease in unemployment, from 4.7 to 4.5 per cent. (All figures refer to seasonally adjusted data from Eurostat .)

Continued growth in man-weeks worked

From September (as measured by the average of the three months from August to October) to December (as measured by the average of the three months from November to January), the average number of man-weeks (37.5 hours) worked each week rose by 19 000. This is consistent with the growth in these figures since the beginning of 2004.

Tables:

• Table 1. Employment and unemployment for persons aged 16-74 years, seasonally adjusted, three-months moving average. Absolute figures in 1000 and unemployed persons in per cent of the labour force.