UK jobless figure falls sharply

Unemployment has fallen by 88,000 in the three months to April to 2.43 million.

The total was helped by the latest figure for employment in the private sector, which rose by 100,000 in the first quarter of the year.

However, the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance increased last month by nearly 20,000.

John Philpott from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development says unemployment could rise again as the public sector sheds jobs.