There were 31.76 million people in work, little changed compared with May to July 2016 but 342,000 more than for a year earlier.

There were 23.20 million people working full-time, 235,000 more than for a year earlier. There were 8.56 million people working part-time, 107,000 more than for a year earlier.

The unemployment rate was 4.8%, down from 5.2% for a year earlier. It has not been lower since July to September 2005. The unemployment rate is the proportion of the labour force (those in work plus those unemployed) that were unemployed.

Average weekly earnings for employees in Great Britain in nominal terms (that is, not adjusted for price inflation) increased by 2.5% including bonuses and by 2.6% excluding bonuses compared with a year earlier.