UK unemployment at 10-year low as wage growth edges up

Unemployment rate has held at 5.1%, while average weekly earnings for employees has risen 2.1% in three months to January

UK unemployment has held at a 10-year low and wage growth has edged up, according to official figures that provide a small, pre-budget boost for George Osborne.

Average weekly earnings for employees rose 2.1% in the three months to January compared with a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. That was faster than the 2% growth rate in the previous three months. It also beat economists' forecasts for another 2% reading in a Reuters poll.

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