BUSINESS LIVE: Unemployment falls; Informa profits jump

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BUSINESS LIVE: Unemployment falls but wage squeeze intensifies; Informa profits jump as live events return; DFS reveals £25m share buyback

By Mike Sheen For This Is Money

Published: | Updated:

Unemployment has fallen, while vacancies and payroll numbers have hit more record highs, as the UK labour market continues to recover.

Office for National Statistics figures show the jobless rate dipped 0.2 percentage points between November and January to 3.9 per cent.

Events group Informa reported higher annual profit on Tuesday, as more trade shows and conferences resumed from the pandemic hiatus and its digital business expanded.

Informa, the world’s largest exhibitions company, said adjusted operating profit rose 36 per cent year-over-year to £388.4million.

DFS Furniture intends to commence a new share buyback programme, worth up to a maximum consideration of £25million.

The investor pay-out comes despite the furniture business seeing pre-tax profits fall by 70 per cent year-on-year to £21.6million in the six months to 26 December.

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ONS: Britain’s unemployment rate is falling but wages remain firmly behind inflation

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