Crawley MP Henry Smith welcomes four million more people in work since 2010

· New figures show there are four million more people in work since 2010 and over 490,000 more people in a job across the south east of England, helping to grow the economy.

· The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released figures showing there are 33.1 million people in work in the UK, with the employment rate near record highs of 76 per cent – up 5.8 percentage points since 2010, with vacancies falling.

· Wages also grew by the largest rate outside of the pandemic at 7.3 per cent, helping people manage costs as the Government continues work to halve inflation.

Henry Smith MP has welcomed new figures showing 4,685,096 people are in work across the south east of England, an increase of 492,757 since 2010.

Henry said: “The UK economy has been through a challenging few years with Covid-19 and Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.

“Despite these global challenges, these latest job figures show there are four million more people in work since 2010 and over 490,000 more people in work across the south east of England – giving more people the security of a regular wage.

“Government is right to focus on its plan to halve inflation, grow the economy and reduce debt – whilst also ensuring everyone has the security of a good job.

“I’m acutely aware that behind each of these numbers are individuals and families working hard – it is these experiences which are at the forefront of my mind in Westminster.”

As the number of people in work grows, figures also show 178,415 fewer people are unemployed across the south east, meaning more people have the security of their own income.

New figures published by the ONS show there are a total of 33.1 million people in work in the UK – this is an increase of 190,000 people in the last year.

As jobs rise, vacancies are falling, with an unemployment rate of 4.1 per cent – near record lows, meaning the number of unemployed people in the UK has almost halved since 2010.

The Government is working to deliver on its five priorities to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. These new figures show the Government are making progress in achieving their economic priorities, with a strong workforce and a resilient economy.

The Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, Mel Stride, commented:“Today’s figures show we are making progress on our plan to grow the economy with four million more people in work today than when we took office in 2010.

“We are removing barriers to work, ensuring work always pays through reforms to Universal Credit and supporting those who are sick or disabled to get into work.

“The Prime Minister has a clear plan to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats. We are making real progress, getting more people into work as we grow the economy.”