New data from the Office for National Statistics show the unemployment rate for February to April 2013 was 7.8% of the economically active population, unchanged from November 2012 to January 2013.
There were 2.51 million unemployed people, down 5,000 from November 2012 to January 2013.
The inactivity rate for those aged from 16 to 64 for February to April 2013 was 22.4%, up 0.1 percentage points from November 2012 to January 2013.
There were 8.99 million economically inactive people aged from 16 to 64, up 40,000 from November 2012 to January 2013.
Ian Brinkley, director of
The Work Foundation, said:
“The labour market figures released this morning give a mixed picture. Overall, employment is still holding up, especially in the private sector.
“But long-term unemployment is still rising. Nearly 900,000 people have been out of work for more than a year, and nearly 460,000 out of work for more than two years.
“The coalition needs to set out clearly in this month’s Spending Review how it intends to reverse this trend, which is damaging the job prospects of individuals and our long term economic success.”
At Prime Minister’s Questions today, David Cameron said the figures “show employment, the number of people in work in our country, going up, they show unemployment going down and the claimant count, the number of people claiming unemployment benefit, has fallen for the seventh month in a row”.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said:
"Day in, day out, what people see are prices rising, wages falling, while the Prime Minister tells them they're better off.
“He claims the economy is healing. But for ordinary families life is getting harder."