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J J Ellison
UK News

Christians Against Poverty calls drop in unemployment "wonderful news"

by Aaron James

Christians Against Poverty was speaking after official figures showed unemployment fell by 79,000 in the three months to August.

The current unemployment rate stands at 5.4% - the lowest it's been since before the financial crisis in 2008.

There were 1.2 million people in part-time jobs who wanted full-time work, down by 9,000.

Long-term unemployment has also fallen, down by 44,000 to 526,000 for those out of work for over a year.

Wages have also increased by 3% in the last year to August. These wage increases come alongside a negative inflation rate, meaning prices are particularly low at the moment.

These two factors mean consumers are generally enjoying increased spending power.

However the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance has risen slightly to 796,200.

Unemployment remains worst in the North East of England at 8.6% - the only region where unemployment continues to rise.

The Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: "Earnings are now rising at 3 percent and inflation is running at about zero. It means basically I hope and believe after all that hard work and all that effort - businesses and people - will actually feel more stable and more secure."

Bethany Cowling, from the Christians Against Poverty Jobs Club which helps people into work, told Premier's News Hour: "Really welcome this news, it just goes to show there are job opportunities out there, we've got more and more who are not having to face the difficulties of unemployment each day which is wonderful news.

"We're here to support people who are still unemployed so our thoughts are with the 1.8 million people for whom this isn't necessarily that good news.

"We survey all of the people that access our service... a lot of the things that we hear back is it [unemployment] just feels like hopelessness, it feels like isolation and loneliness and boredom. It just feels embarrassing."

Listen to Premier's Hannah Tooley speaking to Bethany Cowling here:

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