Overall unemployment rate in UK reaches 8.4 per cent | WPN World People News

Unemployment rate in the UK has reached a near 17-year high with a 0.1% increase in the November-January quarter over the previous quarter to reach an overall jobless rate of 8.4% in January.

Office for National Statistics data released Wednesday shows unemployment between November and January jumped by 28,000 to 2.7 million, with women and youth hardest hit.

According to official data, of the 28,000 who were newly jobless, 22,000 were women taking the tally of jobless women to 1.13 million throughout the three months.
Youth unemployment levels reached 1.04 million, taking the rate to 22.5%.

The official data comes a week ahead of chancellor George Osborne's Budget statement.

Matt Gascoigne, executive director at recruitment consultants Badenoch Clark said the figures, "Continued to paint a bleak picture' for the UK economy.

Increasing numbers of people went into part-time work in the quarter (60,000), which takes the total number to 6.6 million, and a drop of 52,000 individuals who are self-employed meant just over four million people worked for themselves during the time.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance increased for the 12th month in a row, up by 7,200 in February to 1.6 million - the worst figure since the end of 2009.

However, the number of people in work increased by 9,000 in the quarter to January to 29.1 million.
For those aged between 16 and 64 years old, the employment rate remained unchanged on the previous quarter, staying at 70.3%.

The three-month period also saw a 1.4% rise in total pay, including bonuses a drop of 0.5% on the quarterly period to December 2011.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) said the coalition government was the most 'female-unfriendly' in living memory.

"Women are being disproportionately hit by the pay freezes, pension reforms and massive jobs cull in the public sector," said TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

"Basic employment rights are under threat and refuges for victims of domestic violence are being closed. The evidence is clear - this is the most female-unfriendly government in living memory," Barber said.

Charging the government of being complacent about female employment, Liam Byrne, shadow work and pensions secretary, said "The surge in women's unemployment is reaching shocking levels but instead of helping more families into work, next month's cuts to tax credits are set to make thousands better off if they quit their jobs and start claiming out of work benefits."

Public sector employment is another area where jobs fell by 37,000 in the final quarter of 2011 to just under six million, while the number of people employed in private firms increased by 45,000 to 23 million, the official data showed.

Public sector employment fell by 270,000 in the past year following the Government's spending cuts.

Paul Kenny, general secretary of GMB union, said the economy was "in a hole being dug deeper" by the deflationary policies of the government.

Source: Europe News.Net