The number of people in work for the three months to October 2007 reached a record 29.29m, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was up 226,000 over the year, making it the highest figure since comparable records began in 1971.

The number of jobs also reached record levels, according to the ONS. There were 31.60m jobs in September 2007, the highest figure since comparable records began in 1959, up 63,000 over the quarter and 287,000 on a year earlier.

The ONS said that wage growth weakened  in October, with the annual growth in average earnings (excluding bonuses) falling to 3.6%, a drop of 0.1% on September.  Including bonuses, the figure was 4.0%, also down 0.1% from the previous month.