LONDON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Earnings have overtaken the rate of inflation in what is seen as a boost Tuesday for British workers, according to data released on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
At the same time, the number of people in jobs hit another record, while unemployment fell again to its lowest level since 1975.
ONS said the latest labor force survey showed the number of people in work increased while the number of unemployed people decreased.
Figures for the quarter-year ending February show there were 32.26 million people in work, 55,000 more than the quarter ending November 2017, with the new total 427,000 more than for a year earlier.
The stats show there are 14.8 million men and nearly 8.9 million women in full time jobs, while nearly 2.3 million men and 6.3 million women have part-time work.
The new employment rate is 75.4 percent higher, compared to 74.6 percent a year ago, which makes it the highest since comparable records began in 1971, said ONS.
Meanwhile, Britain's unemployment rate is 4.2 percent, down from 4.7 percent for a year earlier, and the lowest level since 1975. The ONS figures show there were 1.42 million unemployed people in the figures for February, 16,000 fewer than for November 2017 and 136,000 fewer than for a year earlier.
Latest estimates show that average weekly earnings for employees in Britain in nominal terms increased by 2.8 percent, both excluding and including bonuses, compared with a year earlier.
Adjusted for price inflation, the increase is slightly higher than the rate of inflation, representing a 0.2 percent rise above inflation excluding bonuses.
ONS senior statistician Matt Hughes said: "The labor market continues to be strong, and for the first time in almost a year, earnings have grown slightly after inflation has been taken into account.
"Employment rose again in the three months to February, to reach its highest ever rate since records began. The unemployment rate fell, too, and is at its lowest since 1975," Hughes said.
