Job vacancies have increased by 7,000 to 824,000 - the most since records began in 2001, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Unemployment fell by 12,000 to 1.41 million, giving a jobless rate of 4.2%, the joint lowest for more than 30 years. Average earnings have increased by 2.5% in the year to May, compared with 2.4% the previous month.
The claimant count, which includes people on Jobseeker's Allowance and the unemployment element of Universal Credit increased by 7,800 last month to 898,700, around 97,000 more than a year ago. The number of people classed as economically inactive, including students, those on long-term sick leave, early retirement or who have given up looking for work, fell by 86,000 to 8.6 million, giving a rate of 21%, a record low.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Esther McVey said: "The employment rate is now at a record high at 75.7%.
"With over 3.3m more people in work since 2010, this Government has seen on average 1,000 more people in work each and every day.”
Employmemt Minister Alok Sharma said, “We have got another record high, so this is the 18th record since 2010. The number of women is also at a record level, and what is particularly pleasing that we are seeing that ttrend continue.
But according to a new research, gender diversity in senior roles at FTSE 350 companies has failed to improve over the past three years, despite evidence that companies with a higher proportion of female executives achieve higher profits, according to new research.
According to the third annual Women Count report by The Pipeline, an organisation that provides female leadership programmes, found that the ratio of women on executive committees of FTSE 350 companies had stayed at 16 per cent since the first report.
The Times reported that nearly a quarter of FTSE 350 companies have no women on their executive committees. Indeed, in some areas, gender diversity has worsened. Only 5 per cent of all profit and loss roles on executive committees are held by women, down from 6 per cent last year. Sixty-three per cent of companies have no women in such roles, while 95 per cent of boards are chaired by men. The percentage of women executives on main boards was flat at 8 per cent between 2017 and 2018.
