They were systematically massaged, taking out the long-term unemployed, shifting people off the register to sick benefit etc. But British unemployment figures have always been based on registered unemployment, because the benefit system here makes that a reasonable approximation (because there is an incentive to register). What it does not tell is the social changes that mask unemployment - like the exponential growth of young people in further education (up from around 500 000 in the eighties to 1 500 000 in the nineties - rough figures from memory, don't quote), or the increase in early retirement.
That said there are some interesting statistics the other way. The number of people in work has been growing year on year for some time now. Particularly, the female workforce is today only a couple of thousand short of the male workforce, in Britain (if you factor in the more conservative Northern Ireland the figure diverges more). I don't think that the falling unemployment figures can be discounted, but the changing structure of the labour force is the most fascinating:
More female, entering full-time work later, less industry, more services, more job changes. -- Jim heartfield