UK unemployment dips unexpectedly

Strengthening economy: A worker laces a sneaker at a store in London. Starmer’s government is eager to get more people back to work after more than 800,000 dropped out of the labour market during the pandemic. — Reuters

LONDON: UK unemployment fell unexpectedly after companies hired at the strongest pace since November, a sign of underlying strength in the economy that complicates the Bank of England’s (BoE) shift toward lower interest rates.

The jobless rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 4.2% in the three months to June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).