UK unemployment falls to 2.61m Unemployment in the UK fell by 51,000 to 2.61m in the three months from February to April as the labour market continued to hold firm despite the double-dip recession. But in a possible sign of future increases, the more timely claimant count - a measure of those claiming jobseeker's allowance - rose by 8,100 in May to reach 1.6m, after a revised fall of 12,800 in April. Economists had expected a small fall. The number of people in work grew by 166,000 to 29.28m on the previous quarter, the largest increase for 17 months, as the private sector created far more jobs than the public sector lost. Half the new jobs were full-time. The unemployment rate was 8.2 per cent of the workforce, unchanged from January-March and in line with economists" forecasts. It was identical to the US rate and below the eurozone's 11 per cent. This was the third month in succession in which unemployment has fallen despite the chill winds from the eurozone, but many economists expect it to rise over the coming months if economic growth does not pick up. Howard Archer, an economist at IHS Global Insight, said: "The big question is how long can the labour market's overall resilience last given the economy's ongoing weakness and the current very worrying and uncertain outlook? The rise in claimant count unemployment in May could be a sign that this resilience is starting to wane. The number of people unemployed for more than six months rose by 49,000 to 1.41m, the highest level since 1995. Employment in the private sector grew by 205,000 in the quarter to April, while public sector unemployment fell by 39,000 to 5.9m, the lowest figure since 2003. The rise was split between an increase of 82,000 in full-time workers and 83,000 in part-timers. Those working part-time because they could not get a full-time job reached 1.41m. Self-employed people increased by 84,000 to 4.17m, the highest level since comparable records began in 1992. Unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds was down 29,000 to 1.01m. Men accounted for most of the fall in unemployment and rise in employment. The squeeze on incomes eased a little as average earnings, including bonuses, rose 1.4 per cent on a year earlier, up 0.5 percentage points on the three months to March. Excluding bonuses, the increase was 1.8 per cent, up 0.2 points. North-east England had the highest unemployment rate, up 0.5 points at 11.3 per cent, followed by London, down 0.5 points at 9.7 per cent. The lowest was south-west England, down 0.2 points at 6.1 per cent.