UK Labour Market: July 2016 – ONS

Main points for March to May 2016

There were 1.65 million unemployed people (people not in work but seeking and available to work), 54,000 fewer than for the 3 months to February 2016, 201,000 fewer than for a year earlier and the lowest since March to May 2008.
There were 903,000 unemployed men, 108,000 fewer than for a year earlier. There were 742,000 unemployed women, 93,000 fewer than for a year earlier.
The unemployment rate was 4.9%, down from 5.6% for a year earlier. The last time it was lower was for July to September 2005.
There were 31.70 million people in work, 176,000 more than for the 3 months to February 2016 and 624,000 more than for a year earlier.
There were 23.19 million people working full-time, 401,000 more than for a year earlier. There were 8.52 million people working part-time, 223,000 more than for a year earlier.
The employment rate (the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were in work) was 74.4%, the highest since comparable records began in 1971.
There were 8.87 million people aged from 16 to 64 who were economically inactive (not working and not seeking or available to work), 46,000 fewer than for the 3 months to February 2016 and 181,000 fewer than for a year earlier.
The inactivity rate (the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were economically inactive) was 21.6%, the lowest since comparable records began in 1971.

The level of self-employment in the UK increased from 3.8 million in 2008 to 4.6 million in 2015.

The recent rise in self-employment is the extension of a trend started in the early 2000s

Part time self-employment grew by 88% between 2001 and 2015, compared to 25% for the full-time mode.

In general, self-employed workers are broadly content with their labour market status