UK unemployment rises to 2.67 million
UK, Feb. 15, 2012
UK unemployment has risen for the eighth month in a row to reach 2.67 million. New figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of people out of work increased by 48,000 in the three months to December.
It takes the jobless rate to 8.4% and includes a 22,000 increase in youth unemployment, taking the number of 16 to 24 year-olds out of work to 1.04 million.
The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance rose by 6,900 in January, the eleventh successive monthly increase. This takes the of claimant count of unemployed people up to 1.6 million.
The number of women claiming the allowance increased by 1,500 last month to 531,700, the highest figure since the summer of 1995.
It has been three years since unemployment broke through the two million mark, with Wednesday's figures prompting more calls for Government action.
Members of the Right to Work campaign group staged a protest outside Department for Work and Pensions offices in Whitehall to mark the release of the latest unemployment figures.
The latest ONS data also shows that employment rose by 60,000 in the final quarter of 2011 to 29 million, inflated by increased part-time jobs.
A record number of people are working part-time because they cannot find full-time jobs.
Earlier in the week the TUC calculated that unemployment could be as high as 6.3 million in the UK if a different counting measure was used, highlighting the "true scale" of joblessness.
A separate study on Monday by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development showed that job prospects are set to worsen in the coming months as more firms make workers redundant.
Wednesday's ONS data also showed UK average earnings increased by 2.0% in the year to December, unchanged from the previous month.
Source: sky.com
