Youth unemployment continued to rise from July to September, with the number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work up by 15,000 to 943,000, a record rate of 19.8 per cent, government statistics revealed yesterday.
The number of 18 to 24-year-olds out of work rose by 24,000 over the three months to 746,000, increasing by 0.7 per cent on the quarter to reach 18.0 per cent, the highest figure since records for this series began in 1992.
The overall unemployment rate rose by 0.1 per cent to 7.8 per cent for July to September 2009.
The number of unemployed people increased by 30,000 over the quarter to reach 2.46 million, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported yesterday.
The ONS added: ‘The inactivity rate was 21.1 per cent and there were eight million people of working age inactive.’
The number of people unemployed for up to six months fell by 99,000 on the quarter to reach 1.31 million, but the number of people unemployed for more than 12 months increased by 71,000 over the quarter to reach 618,000, the highest figure since the three months to November 1997.
Full-time employment fell by 80,000, to reach 21.26 million, while part-time employment increased by 86,000 to reach a record high of 7.66 million.
There were 997,000 employees and self-employed people working part-time because they did not find a full-time job.
This is the highest figure since records for this series began in 1992 and is up 30,000 on the previous quarter, said the ONS.
Paul Kenny GMB General Secretary said: ‘These figures show what a dismally bleak landscape there is for the jobless and their families as Christmas approaches, particularly for the young workers struggling to get into the labour market.
‘If, as seems likely, the financial elite who caused this recession and its attendant havoc resume skimming their multi-million bonuses, anger will boil over.
‘In the forthcoming pre-budget report the government must not fail to take pre-emptive action to stop the financial elite adding insult to injury to those who are paying the price for their recklessness.’