Unemployed in the UK has fallen by 8,000 to 2.47 million according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
However, the figures also showed the claimant count - those out of work and receiving unemployment benefit - rose by 2,300 in August to 1.47 million and as a result the overall unemployment rate remains at 7.8%.
With many economists believing that unemployment will rise later in the year when government cuts begin to kick-in, it remains a tough environment for jobseekers.
Addressing the recent TUC conference in Manchester, Bank of England governor Mervyn King said that big unemployment is higher than before the crisis but lower than many had feared a year ago.
Meanwhile employment Minister Chris Grayling said the rising claimant count showed that new jobs were not being filled by people on benefits - and underlined the need for urgent reform of the benefits system.
But shadow work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper MP said the data showed it was a foolhardy time to make big spending cuts, and described the rise in benefit claimants as grim.
For employers in the private sector who are weathering the current economic storm and planning to take on staff, the situation may present a number of problems.
For every vacancy they advertise, the number of applicants continues to increase, creating further strain on busy HR departments. Psychometric testing, particularly online psychometric tests, can be an efficient way of filtering out unsuitable candidates at the earliest stage of the selection process.
Meanwhile jobseekers are advised to familiarise themselves with psychometric test to improve their chances of finding work.
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