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Seasonally adjusted unemployment fell by 1,000 to 2.281 million compared to the month before. A drop of 3,000 had been forecast. The unemployment rate remained at 5%.
"The influence of a slackening economic environment is showed most clearly in underemployment, which also reflects changes to labour market policy and short-term inability to work," the office said in a statement. In seasonally adjusted terms, underemployment rose by 6,000 to 3.172 million.