MP Damian Hinds has welcomed figures released last week that show the number of people in East Hampshire claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance fell by 465 – a 56 per cent drop – since 2010.

With employment “at its highest level ever”, more than 350,000 more people are in work across the UK than a year ago and unemployment is at its lowest level since 2008.

The national trend has been mirrored across the South East with 219,000 more people across the region in work since 2010.

The figures also show that “average pay growth” is now three per cent while prices are falling, and more young people are in work, with youth unemployment, among those not in full-time study, falling to its lowest level in a decade – 6.2 per cent.

And Mr Hinds said that “business confidence” in the economy is shown by nearly threequarters of a million vacancies.

“Although there is a great deal more to do to ensure the economy continues to deliver the opportunities and security people need, today’s figures are good news for many families across the UK and the South East in particular,” added Mr Hinds.

“The 56 percent fall in people on Jobseeker’s Allowance in East Hampshire is significant and I remain confident that Britain’s current economic plan is the right one to deliver the growth that is so critical to our long-term economic security.

“With recent data showing our trading partners’ growth is slowing, this is no time to be complacent and building a resilient economy – for a country that lives within its means – must remain our priority.”

This month, the Office for National Statistics published labour market figures for the three months to August 2015 and the “claimant count” (Jobseeker’s Allowance) figures for September 2015.

The main points were:

n There were 31.1 million people in work, 140,000 more than for March to May 2015 and 359,000 more than for a year earlier;

n There were 22.7 million people working full-time, 291,000 more than for a year earlier. There were 8.35 million people working part-time, 68,000 more than for a year earlier;

n The employment rate (the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were in work) was 73.6 per cent, the highest since comparable records began in 1971;

n There were 1.77 million unemployed people (people not in work but seeking and available to work), 79,000 fewer than for March to May 2015 and 198,000 fewer than for a year earlier;

n There were 970,000 unemployed men, 125,000 fewer than for a year earlier. There were 803,000 unemployed women, 73,000 fewer than for a year earlier;

n The unemployment rate fell to 5.4 per cent, lower than for March to May 2015 (5.6 per cent) and for a year earlier (6.0 per cent). It has not been lower since March to May 2008. The unemployment rate is the proportion of the labour force (those in work plus those unemployed) who were unemployed;

n There were 9.01 million people aged from 16 to 64 who were economically inactive (not working and not seeking or available to work), little changed compared with March to May 2015 but down slightly (13,000) compared with a year earlier;

n The inactivity rate (the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were economically inactive) was 22.1 per cent, little changed compared with March to May 2015 and with a year earlier; and

n Comparing June to August 2015 with a year earlier, pay for employees in Great Britain increased by 3.0 per cent including bonuses and by 2.8 per cent excluding bonuses.