The amount of people unemployed in the UK has dropped for the first time in 18 months to 2.46m, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

For the three months to November the jobless total fell by 7,000 from the previous quarter, meaning that the rate of unemployment now stands at 7.8%, down from the 7.9%.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance fell to 1.61m and the number of 16-24-year-olds out of work also fell over the three-month period between September and November, from 943,000 to 927,000.

However, the rise in employment was fuelled partly by an increase in people taking part-time work. The number of people in part-time employment increased by 99,000 over the quarter to reach a record high of 7.71m.

"The jobs market is still tough for a lot of people, but the drop in unemployment and youth unemployment is very welcome. It means 450,000 fewer people are out of work than everyone expected last spring," said Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.