Jobless tally falls but 250,000 still out of work in Yorkshire

A total of 253,000 people were out of work in the previous quarter, with the unemployment rate for the region now standing at 9.1%.

Across the UK unemployment has fallen by 34,000 to 2.47 million in the three months to May and a fifth successive fall in the Jobseeker's Allowance claimant count, which was down by 20,800 to 1.46 million in June, was also witnessed.

The ONS also said the number of people out of work for more than a year reached a 13-year high of 787,000 after a 61,000 rise in the three months to May.

The number of economically inactive workers - which hit record levels in the quarter to April - edged down by 0.2% to 8.1 million. This is the first fall in this category since March last year.

But those classing themselves as "long-term sick" reached 2.04 million, the highest level since March 2007.

Meanwhile, the part-time workforce reached record levels in the three months to May as people struggled to find permanent jobs in the recession.

The figures showed a 148,000 quarterly rise in part-timers to 7.82 million, the highest level since Office for National Statistics (ONS) records began in 1992.

Hetal Mehta, senior economic adviser to the Ernst & Young Item Club, said: "While employment was up and inactivity fell in the three months to May, there are still clear risks ahead as the public sector begins to shed jobs.

"It remains highly debatable whether the private sector is sufficiently strong to offset the drag from the public sector."