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The UK needs to create 850,000 more jobs to get back to its pre-recession employment level, a study has shown.
Although the current number of people in work is nearly 30 million - the highest on record - the employment rate is still only 58.7% of the adult population, which has grown by 1.7 million over the last few years.
In 2008 peak employment was 60.3%, and 850,000 more jobs are needed before this rate is reached again.
A committee of MPs has added to the widespread criticism of the government's Work Programme, describing it as "extremely poor".
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), responsible for ensuring the government gets value for its spending, reported that the Work Programme was currently getting only 3.6% of clients into sustained work, far below the target set by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of 11.9%.
UK unemployment has fallen again in the three months to December, to 2.5 million.
When only those who are claiming Jobseeker's Allowance are counted the number is 1.54 million, down by 12,500 on the quarter and 64,000 on the year.
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) information also shows that employment has reached another new high, at 29.7 million.
The number of self-employed people has risen by almost 10% since the start of the recession.
A report by the Office for National Statistics shows a rise of 367,000, with taxi drivers, farmers and construction workers showing the highest growth.
Between 2008 and 2012, the number in traditional employment fell.
"The recent rise in job levels is being driven by self-employed, part-time and temporary jobs, rather than the full-time, permanent work that many people want and need," said Frances O'Grady, secretary general of the TUC.
The Guardian's datablog series explains the recent history of benefits in numbers.
This throws light on many aspects of the debate; did you know, for example, that more working than workless people receive housing benefit?
It also shows why those who use the divisive language of 'strivers v skivers' feel they can do so; in 1989 61% of British people believed the government should spend more on benefits, but by 2011 that number had fallen to 28%.
A new poll has shown that 69% of UK citizens oppose cuts to benefits.
The survey, by Ipsos MORI, found that there was a large majority against cutting benefits in real terms when specific benefits were named.
Chancellor George Osborne gave his Autumn Statement last week and set a below-inflation increase for in-work benefits of 1% each year until 2016.
Unemployment in the UK fell over the last quarter by 82,000, the Office for National Statistics has announced.
Employment rose by 40,000 to 29.6 million, the highest figure ever, as the private sector created jobs - 65,000 in the quarter - faster than the public sector made staff redundant, with 24,000 lost in the quarter.
Unemployment is to rise by 200,000 by the end of 2013, according to a new report.
The prediction, by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) comes despite reductions in unemployment being reported since its peak in November last year.
The IPPR believes that youth unemployment will top one million again, having fallen below this number recently.
The government has today released figures showing its main welfare-to-work programme is missing its job targets.
Private companies and charities are paid to support unemployed people in to work through the Work Programme, but currently only 3.53% of those who go through it are getting sustained jobs, well below the 5.5% minimum target.
The figures cover the 13 months from June 2011 to July 2012, and show that of the 878,000 people who joined the programme, only 31,000 found a job for 6 months or more.
This is the key target of the programme.
