“A testament to our long-term economic plan,” that was the initial reaction from the UK’s new Work and Pensions Minister, Priti Patel to Wednesday’s official data on employment.<br /><br /> Unemployment fell again- down in the first quarter by 35,000 from the previous quarter to 1.83 million, the lowest for seven years.<br /><br /> At the same time the total number in work rose to 31.1 million.<br /><br /> Figures for average pay are up 2.2 percent in the quarter compared with a year earlier.<br /><br /> The data means that regular pay is now growing at its fastest rate for nearly four years.<br /><br /> One analyst reacted saying the British economy had become “an incredible job-creating machine”.
