Surprise UK Unemployment Fall. The number of people unemployed in the UK has fallen unexpectedly for the first time in 18 months.

Total unemployment stood at 2.46 million for the three months to November, down 7,000 on the figure for the previous three months.

It ends the continuous rise in unemployment that began in the summer of 2008 after the recession began.

Ministers welcomed the figures but warned that joblessness could rise again in the coming months.

The rate of unemployment now stands at 7.8%, down from the 7.9% reported last month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Meanwhile, the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance fell to 1.61 million in December.

That is a fall of 15,200 over the month - significantly greater than the 2,500 anticipated by analysts.

The number of 16-24-year-olds out of work also fell over the three-month period between September and November, down from 943,000 to 927,000.