Record Numbers in Work

New figures show that there are a record number of people in work, wages are rising at their fastest pace in 11 years and the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1974 – as the Conservative government's balanced approach to the economy is helping people across the country.


We are helping people into work by reforming welfare so work always pays, while backing businesses to create more, better paying jobs across the whole country through our careful economic management and modern industrial strategy.


With the number of people in work at a record high – including a record number of women in work – more people have the economic independence that a job brings and can reach their full potential. Behind every employment number is a person whose self-esteem, mental wellbeing, economic circumstances and life chances are all vastly improved by being in the workplace.


Key statistics:

  • Wages: Average weekly earnings for employees increased by 3.6 per cent compared with a year earlier, growing by 1.7 per cent after adjusting for inflation – boosted by strong growth in wages of public sector workers – meaning people have more money in their pockets.
  • Employment: 32.75 million (up 354,000 over the last year and up by 3.70 million since 2010).

  • Employment rate: 76.0 per cent (up 0.4 points over the past year and up 5.8 points since 2010).

  • Unemployment: 1.29 million (down 116,000 over the past year and down by 1.22 million since 2010).

  • Unemployment rate: 3.8 per cent (down 0.4 points over the past year and down 4.2 points since 2010) – the lowest rate since 1974 and halving since 2010 (8.0 per cent).  
  • Youth unemployment: There are 446,000 fewer young people out of work since 2010 – halving since 2010.

  • Women: The number of women in work is at a record high of 15.47 million – and the employment rate for women is at a record high of 72.0 per cent. There are 1.84 million more women in work since 2010.




We are helping families with the cost of living, so they have more money in their pockets:

  • We have increased the national Living Wage which has taken the proportion of jobs that are low paid to its lowest level since 1986. 
  • The introduction of the National Living Wage, pushed up hourly pay, the proportion of people on low pay fell below 20 per cent for the first time since 1986 and has continued to fall since, with almost 200,000 workers lifted out of low pay last year. (Resolution Foundation, Low Pay Britain 2019, 30 May 2019, link)
  • We have increased the personal allowance to £12,500 a year early so that 32 million people can keep more of what they earn. 
  • We have cut income tax for 32 million people and taken 1.74 million people out of paying tax altogether. An average rate taxpayer is paying £1,205 less tax this year than in 2010-11.

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