The UK unemployment rate fell below 5 per cent in May, hitting its lowest rate since 2005, according to the Office for National Statistics.
But analysts warned that the positive trend was likely to be reversed by the Brexit vote, reports The Independent.
The proportion of the economically active population aged over 16 who were out of work fell to 4.9 per cent in the March to May period, the lowest since July to September 2005.
This was lower than the 5 per cent figure that many City of London economists had expected.
Average wages also grew by 2.3 per cent in the year to May, the strongest annual growth since last October, in line with economists’ expectations.
This wage increase was a partial reflection of April’s hike in the national minimum wage to £7.2 an hour for over 25s.
Sterling spiked against the dollar in the wake of the release above $1.315, helped up by the strong jobs report and also by the publication of a report by the regional agents of the Bank of England which found “no clear evidence” a sharp slowdown in the economy is yet underway in the wake of the 23 June Brexit vote.
But the ONS stressed that the data in today’s release came before the referendum, which is widely expected to curb hiring by firms.
“We strongly suspect that heightened uncertainty and concerns among businesses following the Brexit vote as well as a weakening economic performance will take an increasing toll on the labour market going forward” said Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight.
“These may be the best set of labour market figures for a while” said Paul Hollingsworth of Capital Economics.
The new Chancellor, Philip Hammond, put a positive spin on the jobs news.
“Today’s employment and wage figures are proof that the fundamentals of the British economy are strong. In the months before the referendum, employment in the UK reached a new record high, unemployment fell to its lowest in a decade and wages continued to rise” he said.
“As the economy adjusts to the effect of the referendum decision, it is doing so from a position of economic strength”.
