Across a range of indicators, growth in the labour market was largely flat during 2002. However, there were signs, particularly towards the end of the year, that employment growth was picking up. The labour market remained healthy with ongoing employment growth, a historically high employment rate, and low unemployment. Employment growth was particularly strong in the North West, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in industries such as ‘public administration, education & health’ and ‘distribution, hotels and restaurants’, and among older workers.