Unemployment declined by 45,000 in the three months to March, raising hopes that Britain's recession-hit economy is on the mend. The total number of jobless fell to 2.63 million, according to the Office for National Statistics, its lowest level since last summer. That brought the unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2012 down to 8.2%, from 8.4% in the last three months of 2011. Employment minister Chris Grayling seized on the news as a "step in the right direction". The ONS said the more timely claimant count, which measures the number of people receiving jobseekers' allowance, had also fallen, by 13,700 in ... (full story)