Government figures show fall in unemployment figures

Date: 20th January 2010

Unemployment fell by 7,000 to 2.46 million in the three months to December 2009, new data has revealed.

According to the Department for Work and Pensions, the Office for National Statistics data showed that there are 450,000 fewer unemployed people in the UK than was predicted at the time of the last Budget.

Yvette Cooper, secretary of state for work and pensions, said: "The jobs market is still tough for a lot of people, but the drop in unemployment and youth unemployment is very welcome.

"However we know that things will still be difficult and unemployment is still likely to rise over the next few months. That is why we are determined to keep increasing the help and support to get people into jobs and training."

The report also revealed an increase in opportunities as job vacancies in the UK had risen by 16,000 to 448,000 by the end of last month.