Women and Self-Employed Drive Robust Jobs...>

UK DATA: Women and Self-Employed Drive Robust Jobs Growth

-UK Sept-Nov Employment +208,000 vs +24,000 Aug-Oct

-UK Sept-Nov LFS Jobless Rate unchanged at 3.8% vs 3.8% Aug-Oct

-UK Nov jobless rate 4.0% vs 3.5% in Oct (experimental statistic)

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The UK jobs market remained robust in the three months to November, 

recording the biggest jump since the three months to Jan of this year, 

taking the employment rate to a record-high 76.3%. Over two-thirds of 

the increase came from women entering the work force, highlighting 

greater availability of female labour, according to an ONS official. 

Some 71,000 new jobs were self employed roles, an annual rise of 3.0%, 

far outpacing the 0.7% rise in salaried employees over the same period. 

The data are at odds with observations of the Bank of England's Monetary 

Policy Commmittee, which noted signs of a "loosening" of the labour 

market at their December meeting. Q4 vacancies fell by 11,000 over Q3, 

but remained above the 798,000 recorded in the three months to Nov.