Since the banking crisis drove the country into its sharpest postwar recession, economists have watched the relatively robust employment figures with some disbelief.

Only part of this liability ended up on public books, but the credit crunch led to the world's worst postwar recession as lending and confidence evaporated in 2008-09.

The figures also reflect the impact of the country's deepest and longest postwar recession, which has pushed up unemployment and made it far harder for benefit claimants to find work.

As 2010 gets under way, the economy appears to be pulling out of its longest and deepest postwar recession.

This was short-lived, however, and the country fell into a postwar recession, and buyer reluctance slowed new car sales.