Corrects month in the first para
The U.K. claimant count declined by 7,300 in April from a month ago, data published by the Office for National Statistics showed Wednesday. Economists had forecast a decrease of 3,000 for April.
The number of people claiming jobseekers' allowances totaled 1.52 million. The claimant count rate fell slightly to 4.5 percent in April, while it was forecast to remain unchanged at 4.6 percent.
During January to March, the ILO unemployment rate was 7.8 percent of the economically active population, up 0.1 percentage points from October to December.
Data showed that average weekly earnings excluding bonus payments rose 0.8 percent during January to March compared with the same period a year earlier. This was the lowest growth rate since comparable records began in 2001.
Including bonus, average weekly earnings increased 0.4 percent annually. This growth rate has not been lower since March to May 2009.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.