Official data shows UK unemployment drop

Unemployment in the UK fell by 5,000 in the three months to April, official data shows.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics indicates that 2.51 million people were out of work in the three-month period.

Jobseeker's Allowance claimants data was also down by 8,600 in May from a month earlier to 1.51 million, perhaps indicating the UK's economic recovery is starting to gather pace.

Recent data has shown the services, construction and manufacturing sectors are all in better positions now than a few months ago.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis welcomed the drop in unemployment, but notes the overall picture remains "gloomy" for a lot of Britons, reports BBC News.

Prime minister David Cameron said: "They show employment, the number of people in work in our country, going up, they show unemployment going down and the claimant count, the number of people claiming unemployment benefit, has fallen for the seventh month in a row."

Last week, official data released in the US showed 175,000 jobs were created in the US during May, narrowly beating the expectations of analysts.

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