UK unemployment fell by 36,000 in the three months to the end of March, to 2.46 million.
However, the number of people receiving the Jobseeker’s Allowance rose by 12,400 in April to 1.47 million. Of the 12,400 extra people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, 9,300 were women, the highest figure since October 1996. The number of male claimants rose for the first time since January.
Unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds stood at 935,000, with the jobless rate for young people now at 20%.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of unemployment in the UK was now 7.7%.
Official figures showed that the UK economy grew by 0.5% in the first three months of the year, after a 0.5% fall in the last three months of 2010. The UK capitalist economy is stagnating and is unable to grow.
The number of people unemployed for more than 12 months increased by 20,000 to 850,000, the highest number since January 1997.
For the ruling class, mass unemployment has worked wonders. The number of working days lost through labour disputes in the year to March was the joint lowest total since records began in 1930.
This was one year after the 1929 crash and four years after the defeat of the 1926 general strike.
The 1930s are notorious as being ‘the hungry thirties’ when mass unemployment and hunger persisted until the six years of World War Two. Big business considers that another such period is ahead.
Yesterday it was pointing out that wages are now being savagely cut, and that this gain could be ruined if the Bank of England ‘panicked’ by raising interest rates to try to deal with the rampant price inflation that is slashing wages.
The British Chamber of Commerce stated that instead of rate rises there should be more deregulation to ease the costs of the employers.
It stated that: ‘The burden of regulation on businesses, particularly small and medium-sized firms, still weighs too heavily and in many cases prevents companies from creating jobs.’
The message is that the only way to ‘create jobs’, and to get the British capitalist economy moving, is to get rid of all health and safety regulations and the minimum wage, so that workers, particularly young workers, can be super-exploited.
The bosses point out that so many jobs are being destroyed by savage cuts that the very weak capitalist economy cannot replace them.
In fact the private sector is collapsing. Yesterday Mothercare announced that it is to close over 100 of its stores.
The TUC trade union leader reacted to the latest unemployment figures yesterday by getting down on his knees. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: ‘Today’s figures are good news for those looking for work, with employment up and unemployment down. But new jobs are not being shared around evenly.’
Dave Prentis, Unison General Secretary did warn that ‘Despite the small fall in youth unemployment, there are still nearly one million young people out of work. And unless the government takes action, their futures will be blighted.’
He added the nonsense: ‘There is an alternative economic approach. This government must take the blinkers off, stop the hard and fast cuts, and take decisive action to protect jobs, services and recovery.’ As if the Tories could do this.
In fact, the government is getting ready to fight it out with the trade unions this summer to impose further huge pensions and wages cuts.
More than a quarter of a million civil and public servants are to ballot for a strike to take place in June.
The essence of the situation is that the only way to avoid a return to the hungry 30s is for all trade unions to come out with the civil servants in June in an indefinite general strike to bring down the coalition, and bring in a workers government, not a Labour government, to put an end to capitalism and bring in socialism. This is what must be done.
