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Unemployment Figures Hit 17-Year High With 2.64 Million Out Of Work (Video)

The Huffington Post UK    
First Posted: 14/12/2011 10:21 Updated: 14/12/2011 13:15

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Unemployment
Unemployment figures show a 17-year high

Unemployment is up to 2.64 million in the UK, a 17-year high and an increase of 128,000 in the last three months.

The grim figures, published by The Office for National Statistics, put youth unemployment (16 to 24-year-olds) at more than one million, the highest since records began, while the number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance increased to 1.6 million, a rise of 300,000 since November.

The number of women out of work increased by 45,000 to 1.1 million, the highest level since 1988, while the number of vacancies fell by 8,000 to 455,000.

In the last three months, 161,000 people were made redundant.

Public sector employment in the last three months fell by 67,000, and private sector employment only increased by 5,000 to 21.3 million.

According to Andrew Sissons, researcher at The Work Foundation, the figures show the labour market is in a "dangerous trajectory".

"Today’s numbers confirm that our private sector recovery has stalled," he said. "Between June and September private businesses struggled to create just 5,000 new jobs while the public sector shed 67,000 workers over the same period. The economy shed 252,000 employee jobs in three months, leaving unemployment higher now than at any point during the recession.

"Unemployment will only stop rising when businesses regain their confidence. That will either require a rapid resolution to the Eurozone crisis, or a decisive signal from government that it is committed to boosting growth in the long-term."

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Unemployment is up to 2.64 million in the UK, a 17-year high and an increase of 128,000 in the last three months. The grim figures, published by The Office for National Statistics, put youth unempl...
Unemployment is up to 2.64 million in the UK, a 17-year high and an increase of 128,000 in the last three months. The grim figures, published by The Office for National Statistics, put youth unempl...
Unemployment is up to 2.64 million in the UK, a 17-year high and an increase of 128,000 in the last three months. The grim figures, published by The Office for National Statistics, put youth unempl...
Unemployment is up to 2.64 million in the UK, a 17-year high and an increase of 128,000 in the last three months. The grim figures, published by The Office for National Statistics, put youth unempl...
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jon vosloo
5 Fans
07:09 PM on 12/14/2011
Don't worry the numbers will keep on growing to a point where we will look back at today's 2.6 million with fondness
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Kenz300
2482 Fans
03:49 PM on 12/14/2011
Too many people and too few jobs.

There needs to be a balance between immigration and available jobs....

It is simple math.

There are over a billion people in the world living on less than $2 a day. Can they all come for a job?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Carole Sutton
74 Fans
03:30 PM on 12/14/2011
The austerity program doesnt work during these times. The Prime minister needs to go. His ideology is hurting the middle class
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Emeka K Duru
3 Fans
12:17 PM on 12/14/2011
Who is doing the sums?
Which is easier on the economy and social cohesion;increasing the retirement age or getting the youth into work?
The kind of fervour and passion with which government pursues the goal of pushing mums back to work,the disabled back to work,even at a time some of these people are not mentally geared for it,along with a growing army of youth desperate and ready to work in an ever declining job opportunities posses a conundrum for policy makers.How do you draw your economic-pyramid?
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FedUpWoman
14 Fans
12:01 PM on 12/14/2011
And the last time we had such high unemployment was? That's right, under another Tory government. I suppose Gideon and 'call me Dave' will again be 'disappointed' at these latest unemployment statistics. Do you recall Norman Lamont's comment that "Unemployment is a price worth paying"? Of course it is, just so long as the unemployed are the great unwashed and the cabinet can still shelter their taxes. Why is anyone surprised at these unemployment figures? They will get much worse once all those police, armed forces and NHS staff join the dole queue. A price worth paying? In the meantime, the tax take will go down,including VAT, because unemployed people can't spend what they haven't got. Government borrowing will rise to pay all those unemployed people (SCROUNGERS). At the same time, the unemployed deserve to have their benefits cut, because we have to encourage people to work by cutting their JSA, whilst we have to encourage those peole who gamble in the City and the banks by INCREASING their income and cutting their taxes (the taxes they haven't sheltered somewhere exotic). It's not rocket science Gideon. For goodness sake, please get yourself "Economics for Dummies" and while you're at it get another couple of dozen for the rest of the cabinet.
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jon vosloo
5 Fans
07:43 PM on 12/14/2011
ahhhhhhhh the good old days... the undeserving poor of the 1930's had their unemployment benefits cut to encourage them.. and it didn't do them any harm
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sand171
42 Fans
12:00 PM on 12/14/2011
Never mind the Rt Hon Chris Grayling has told the bbc, just like you I have my finger on the pulse and everything is good in our realm.
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