job seekers

The number of unemployed people in the UK fell by 3,000 in the three months up to December 2009.

At the end of last year unemployment stood at 2.46 million, according to the National Office of Statistics.

This is the second month in a row the wider measure of unemployment has fallen. But long-term unemployment and the number of people claiming job seeker's allowance have both risen to the highest figures since Labour came to power.