Confused by the unemployment figures?

Burning Our Money has a great analysis and explanation of how unemployment can be down:

"Conclusion? The next time some government minister or apologist spouts all that stuff about how brilliantly they've managed to stop unemployment rising in this recession, you need to remember two key points:

1. Unemployment has been artificially held down by a wholly unsustainable 300,000 recruitment binge in the public sector - a binge that will have to be reversed after the election.
2. Real unemployment - including the 370,000 growth in the number of so-called economically inactive - has increased by 750,000 in the last year.