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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Huge rise in people claiming unemployment benefit | Huge rise in people claiming unemployment benefit |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in the UK soared last month, the first full month of the coronavirus lockdown. | The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in the UK soared last month, the first full month of the coronavirus lockdown. |
| The claimant count in April went up by 856,500 to 2.1 million, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. | |
| Separate ONS figures showed UK unemployment rose by 50,000 to 1.35 million in the three months to March. | Separate ONS figures showed UK unemployment rose by 50,000 to 1.35 million in the three months to March. |
| The unemployment rate was estimated at 3.9%, slightly down on the previous quarter, the ONS said. | |
| Before the lockdown began, employment had hit a record high. | Before the lockdown began, employment had hit a record high. |
| According to research by the Resolution Foundation, young people are most likely to have lost work or seen their income drop because of the coronavirus pandemic. | According to research by the Resolution Foundation, young people are most likely to have lost work or seen their income drop because of the coronavirus pandemic. |
| More than one in three 18 to 24-year-olds is earning less than before the outbreak, the research indicated. | More than one in three 18 to 24-year-olds is earning less than before the outbreak, the research indicated. |
| It said younger workers risk their pay being affected for years, while older staff may end up involuntarily retired. | It said younger workers risk their pay being affected for years, while older staff may end up involuntarily retired. |
| Bigger rise due | Bigger rise due |
| The jobless figures only cover the first week of the lockdown and the total is likely to worsen sharply in the coming months. | The jobless figures only cover the first week of the lockdown and the total is likely to worsen sharply in the coming months. |
| Jagjit Chadha, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, told the BBC: "We can reasonably expect unemployment to rise very quickly to something over 10% - something we haven't seen since the early 1990s." | Jagjit Chadha, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, told the BBC: "We can reasonably expect unemployment to rise very quickly to something over 10% - something we haven't seen since the early 1990s." |
| People who are at home on furlough are not counted in the jobless total. | People who are at home on furlough are not counted in the jobless total. |
| However, the total number of weekly hours worked showed its largest annual decrease in 10 years. | However, the total number of weekly hours worked showed its largest annual decrease in 10 years. |
| Estimates based on returns for individual weeks suggest that this fall was mostly caused by the decrease in hours in the last week of March, with a much smaller decrease in the previous week, the ONS said. | Estimates based on returns for individual weeks suggest that this fall was mostly caused by the decrease in hours in the last week of March, with a much smaller decrease in the previous week, the ONS said. |
| In the final week of March, the total number of hours worked was about 25% fewer than in other weeks within the quarter. | In the final week of March, the total number of hours worked was about 25% fewer than in other weeks within the quarter. |
| "The headline employment and unemployment data have registered no impact from Covid-19 because they are three-month averages and the UK only went into lockdown in late March," said Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. | |
| "Weekly data on total hours worked, however, show some of the initial virus damage; hours dropped by 6% in the penultimate week of March and by a further 16% in the final week. | |
| "Timelier claimant count data also paint a bleak picture. | |
| "In addition, the 24.8% year-over-year drop in three-month average measure of job vacancies in April - the steepest since October 2009 - suggests that very few unemployed people will be able to find a job quickly." | |
| Are you claiming unemployment benefit? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. | |
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