UK job numbers boosted by women delaying retirement

Employment rate for women hits record in March after retirement age changes, with figures contradicting EU referendum fears

Britain's employment rate reached a record high and wages ticked up in March, dashing government claims that the job market was being seriously damaged by the threat of a leave vote in the EU referendum.

The number of people employed increased by 44,000 to 31.58 million, while total pay including bonuses edged up by 2%, from 1.9% in February, on the rolling quarter-on-quarter measure used by the Office for National Statistics.

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