The UK's unemployment rate has fallen to a 10-year low of 4.8% following another drop in the numbers out of work.

The jobless total stands at 1.62 million after a reduction of 16,000 in the quarter to October.

Norfolk saw the number of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claimants fall from 3,869 in October to 3,701 in November, while Suffolk had a fall of 107 to 3,224.

However, overall the East of England saw a 46,000 increase in unemployment, up to 147,000, for the three months from August to October.

The UK now has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU, with only Germany and the Czech Republic having a lower figure.

There was a slight fall of 6,000 in the number of people in work, to 31.7 million, although the figure for women reached a record high of almost 15 million.

The employment rate for women is now almost 70%, the best since records began in 1971.

There was an increase of 2,000 in the claimant count last month, to 809,000 – the highest figure since February 2015.

The Office for National Statistics also reported a rise of 76,000 in the number of people classed as economically inactive.

The total, which includes those on long-term sick leave, taking early retirement, looking after a relative or who have given up looking for work, is 8.9 million.

Average earnings increased by 2.5% in the year to October, up by 0.1% on the previous month.

Public sector employment has increased by 12,000 to 5.4 million, mainly due to new jobs in the NHS and education.

The figure is 10,000 lower than a year ago, while local government employment has reached a record low of 2.1 million.

The number of workers in private firms has fallen by 17,000 to 26 million, but is still 352,000 higher than a year ago.

Other figures showed a 107,000 increase in part-time workers to a near record high of 8.56 million.

There has been a 10% fall in the numbers in part-time jobs wanting full-time work over the past year, to a total of 1.16 million.

Pay growth is said to be particularly strong in the construction industry.