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Unemployment down 76,000 as earnings increase

Unemployment fell by 76,000 in the three months to February, official figures have revealed.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the drop brings the number of people now not in work down to 1.84 million - with a record 31 million people in work.

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Boom for small business 'helped unemployment fall'

Business is booming for small firms, industry leaders have said as they attribute another fall in unemployment to increased recruitment from growing companies.

Small businesses are hiring more, experts say Credit: PA

Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, John Allan, said the drop of 76,000 jobless was in line with his expectations.

The latest fall in unemployment comes as no surprise as our research shows more small businesses are hiring compared with a year ago.

– John Allan, Federation of Small Businesses

Meanwhile, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)'s employment chief Neil Carberry welcomed news that average earnings were up on last year - but warned productivity needed to rise to have a real impact on salaries.

It's great to see 248,000 more people in work, the fastest rise in employment in just under a year - thanks to our flexible jobs market.

With real wage growth rising people have a little more money in their pockets. But we need to see a recovery in productivity before wages can rise faster.

– Neil Carberry, CBI

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