William Eichler 20 March 2019

Local government employment at ‘record low’

The number of people employed in the local government sector has plummeted to a ‘new record low’, data reveals.

The Office for National Statistics estimates that in December 2018 there were 2.04 million people working in this cash-strapped sector.

This is down 10,000 (0.5%) compared with September 2018 and down 44,000 (2.1%) compared with December 2017.

Meanwhile, the number of people employed in central Government has increased to a record high of 3.17 million for December 2018.

It is up 24,000 (0.8%) compared with September 2018 and up 104,000 (3.4%) compared with December 2017

According to the ONS, this rise is the result of academy conversions, increases in employment in the National Health Service and the Civil Service.?

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