Unemployment fell by 167,000 between September and November to 2.32 million, a rate of 7.1%, official figures showed. It is close to the 7% figure at which the Bank of England has said it will consider raising interest rates.
A breakdown of unemployment figures published by the Office for National Statistics has highlighted economic differences across the country:
Region, Total unemployed, Change on quarter, Unemployment rate
Unemployment fell by 167,000 between September and November to 2.32 million, a rate of 7.1%, official figures showed.
So will interest rates rise? That’s the obvious question after the unemployment rate dropped even faster than economists were expecting.