UK NEWS

UNEMPLOYMENT SOARS TO 1.79M AND IT COULD BE 2M BY CHRISTMAS

The biggest rise in unemployment since 1991

Wednesday October 15,2008

By Julia White for express.co.uk

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(30)

UNEMPLOYMENT rose by 164,000 between June and August - the biggest jump in 17 years - official figures showed today.

As the UK edges closer to an economic recession, it emerged that a total of 1.79 million people were out of work during that period - the worst level since 1999.

The quarterly increase, which was the highest since the summer of 1991 when it jumped by 186,000, pushed up the unemployment rate from from 5.5 per cent to 5.7 per cent.

And it raised new fears that the number of people out of work could top two million by Christmas.

As the credit crunch begins to bite it emerged that 147,000 people were made redundant in the three months to August, an increase of 28,000 on the previous quarter.

These figures don't even take into account the recent redundancies in the banking sector.

And the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance last month increased by 31,800 to 939,900.

Employment levels have also slumped - down by 122,000 in the latest quarter to 29.4 million, the biggest three-monthly fall since 1993.

JOBS: WANT TO FIGHT UNEMPLOYMENT BY BEING YOUR OWN BOSS?
MONEY: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BEAT THE CREDIT CRUNCH
GOOD NEWS: WHY COST OF LIVING IS SET TO PLUNGE
VIDEO: GORDON BROWN DISCUSSES ECONOMY
BLOG: THE BENEFITS SCROUNGERS WHO LOVE BEING UNEMPLOYED

The figures also revealed that the number of people out of work for more than a year has increased by 35,000 to 440,000.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown today vowed to do everything in his power to keep people in jobs as unemployment soars.

Mr Brown said: “We will do everything we can to help create jobs and help people maintain jobs in the British economy.”

But TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “This is extremely bad news, and these figures do not even show the effects of the bank crash.

“After years when we could take reasonably full employment for granted, we are now in for grim times. This is the next big challenge for Government.”

UNEMPLOYMENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY
(region, total unemployed, change on quarter, unemployment rate)

North East 96,000 plus 5,000 7.7%
North West 221,000 plus 14,000 6.6%
Yorkshire and the Humber 163,000 plus 17,000 6.2%
East Midlands 143,000 plus 13,000 6.2%
West Midlands 169,000 plus 4,000 6.4%
East 142,000 plus 10,000 4.8%
London 304,000 plus 39,000 7.5%
South East 200,000 plus 28,000 4.5%
South West 109,000 plus 3,000 4.1%
Wales 85,000 plus 10,000 5.9%
Scotland 124,000 plus 19,000 4.7%
Northern Ireland 35,000 plus 1,000 4.3%

REALITY WILL BITE.

16.10.08, 11:30am

When we have full employment, no-one cares
about the changes to benefit laws.

SOME OF YOU ARE GOING TO FIND OUT
VERY SOON..... oh and don't fall into the trick
I did. :

" Work part-time for two years and wipe
away 30 years of class 1 contributions ".

as aposed to an immigrant who can work
for two years and get benefit, without any
previous work record.

• Posted by: idiot • Report Comment

UNEMPLOYMENT SOARS TO 1.79M AND IT COULD BE 2M BY CHRISTMAS

16.10.08, 8:38am

NEVER MIND FOLKS, YOU CAN ALWAYS BASK IN THE COMFORTABLE KNOWLEDGE THAT SUCH AS BARON MANDELSON WITH HIS £1 MILLION PAY OFF FROM THE EU WONT BE FEELING THE PINCH - NOW WILL HE ?

• Posted by: EmperorMing • Report Comment

IF YOU BELIEVE 1.79 MILLION UNEMPLOYED - "WANNA BUY A RAINBOW"?

16.10.08, 1:00am

Anyone like to guess what the true unemployed figures really are, I'll warrant they're much higher than 1.79 Million indicated by this government. How many subsidized businesses are there, people who become redundant now on re-training schemes or hidden away in colleges etc, under the guise of "students", those not entitled to benefit because their spouses work, part time temporary subsidized contracts. Thousands of immigrants entering the UK daily, are they taking up employment on arrival….doubtful, I should imagine the list of people out of a permanent job is mind boggling and more like 4 – 5 million.

• Posted by: Anonymouse • Report Comment

WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THAT WHILST THIS IS HAPPENING HOW CAN THE GOVERNMENT ALLOW IMIGRANTS INTO THE COUNTRY TO TAKE UP JOBS!

15.10.08, 10:12pm

Can anyone tell me this they haven't only been allowed into the country but they now are taking all the jobs in the market and I'm not just talking about jobs that our people won't do!

Nursing is a prime example of a typical mess this government has got us into by changing the way nurse training was delivered and making it more academic....anyone unfortunately having the experience of nurses today can tell you that degree nurses don't want to give hands on care and instead want to manage.....when did nursing loose its vocational role?

Hey people of Britian your jobs are at risk...this government got us all into this mess and now its severing like a bloated pig!

• Posted by: RealIstic08 • Report Comment

WE GET ALL WE DESERVE

15.10.08, 9:38pm

We are told that the cost of living is on its way down, petrol prices are dropping,some food prices are coming down,house prices are falling ,and that we the tax payers are now all shareholders in a stagnant economy.We must be the most gullible nation of idiots in the world to listen and take in all the crap we are fed by this government.We are today informed that unemployment rose by 164,000 between june and august,and yet we still invite imigrants in to fill jobs.we release prisoners early to make room in overcrowded prisons! a few more to join the ranks of the unemployed.Our people are losing their homes ,and their livelihoods and yet we pull up billions of pounds to save banks run by those so called captains of industry.we have found money to go to war in iraq, afganistan and soon i should think iran.We sit back and do nothing so we deserve all we get.We seem to be able to find money for foreing aid,and yet cant afford to have certain drugs because they are deemed to expensive.This morning on the tv was a program showing a young man and his family, and others who have found themselves in this unthinkable position,i suppose that if you were in these ministers positions where they grab all they can in perks and self assessed wage increases they are not concerned.Each time you open the mail, walk into a store or are walking along in the street you will meet a person with a tin asking for money for cancer research, the blind, child aid,Dr banados and many others and yet come voting day we give them a licence to keep doing it to us.One day, just one day we may all wise up and say enough is enough to this thieving lot.IT IS TRUE THOUGH LIFES A BITCH THEN YOU DIE

• Posted by: ravingdave • Report Comment

THOR1: A VERY GOOD POINT...

15.10.08, 8:55pm

especially when they are working for the minimum wage whereas a skilled person could command more money.......will be quite interested to see the answer to this ....

• Posted by: cocklesandeels • Report Comment