Liam Byrne: 'Economy still limping along in crisis'
The latest unemployment figures show the jobless total fell for the first time in a year.
According to the Office for National Statistics there are now 2.65 million people out of work, giving a jobless rate of 8.3%.
Despite this latest decrease, the level of unemployment is significantly higher than it was a year ago.
The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance increased for the 17th month in a row in March, up by 3,600 to 1.61 million, although it was the smallest monthly rise since December 2011.
The shadow work and pensions secretary, Liam Byrne, welcomed what he called "any glimmers of sunshine" but said the economy was "still limping along in crisis".
18 Apr 2012
- From the section Business