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| UK unemployment continues to climb | UK unemployment continues to climb |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| UK unemployment rose by 48,000 to 2.67 million in the three months to December, official figures have shown. | UK unemployment rose by 48,000 to 2.67 million in the three months to December, official figures have shown. |
| The unemployment rate was 8.4%, the Office for National Statistics said, the highest for 16 years. | The unemployment rate was 8.4%, the Office for National Statistics said, the highest for 16 years. |
| The number of young people without a job rose 22,000 to 1.04m, taking the unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds to 22.2%. | |
| The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in January increased by 6,900 to 1.6 million. | The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in January increased by 6,900 to 1.6 million. |
| While the unemployment rate is now at its highest since 1995, the number of job vacancies rose to 476,000 in the three months to January. | While the unemployment rate is now at its highest since 1995, the number of job vacancies rose to 476,000 in the three months to January. |
| Lord Freud, a work and pensions minister, told BBC News: "This clearly shows we are by no means out of the woods yet. | |
| "But it is quite a mixed picture. There are signs of stability. The inactivity level is coming down," he said. | "But it is quite a mixed picture. There are signs of stability. The inactivity level is coming down," he said. |
| Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary, Liam Byrne, said it was clear that government policy was not working. | |
| "Today's figures make for grim reading for the millions of squeezed families desperate for good news on the economy," he said. | |
| "With unemployment at its highest rate since 1995 and long-term youth unemployment doubling in the last year, ministers must now get a grip." | |
| More in work | |
| Despite the continued rise in unemployment, the proportion of the workforce in paid work also rose. | Despite the continued rise in unemployment, the proportion of the workforce in paid work also rose. |
| The number of people in jobs went up by 60,000 in the last three months of the year to 29,130,000. | |
| This meant the employment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points in the three months to December to 70.3%, although this rate was still 0.2 percentage points lower than a year ago. | This meant the employment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points in the three months to December to 70.3%, although this rate was still 0.2 percentage points lower than a year ago. |
| The apparent contradiction is explained by the fact that the number of people classified as economically inactive has dropped. | The apparent contradiction is explained by the fact that the number of people classified as economically inactive has dropped. |
| Their number fell by 78,000 to 9.29 million. This included a drop in the number of people categorised as long-term sick or retired, who went back into the workforce. | |
| The TUC's general secretary, Brendan Barber, said: "It's encouraging to see a small rise in employment, but this is entirely down to people taking part-time work because there are no full-time jobs available." | |
| "With one in three jobseekers looking for work for over a year, and around six unemployed people for every job, the government's mantra that there are plenty of jobs out there just doesn't ring true," he added. | |
| Full and part-time | |
| The figures suggest that women are being hit hardest by the rise in unemployment and that we are increasingly reliant on part-time jobs. | |
| Of the 48,000 increase in the number of people becoming unemployed - 32,000 of those were women losing their jobs. | |
| This, its thought, reflects the cuts to public sector jobs where more women tend to work. | |
| Older women in particular appear to be vulnerable to losing their jobs with the number of over 50-year-old women losing their jobs up by 20% over the past year. | |
| The figures also suggest an increasing reliance on part-time jobs. | |
| The number of people working part time is the highest since records began. | |
| The number in part-time work rose by 70,000 in the past quarter. In other words the fall in full-time employment is being masked by more people taking part-time jobs. | |
| The ONS highlighted the growth in part-time working among people who could not find a full-time job. | |
| "The number of employees and self-employed people who were working part-time because they could not find a full-time job increased by 83,000 on the quarter to reach 1.35 million," it said. | |
| It pointed out that this was the highest figure since comparable records began in 1992. | |
| Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight said the figures indicated overall that the worsening employment outlook had eased recently. | |
| "[This] supports hopes that the economy will return to modest growth in the first quarter and avoid recession," he said. | "[This] supports hopes that the economy will return to modest growth in the first quarter and avoid recession," he said. |
| "Admittedly claimant count unemployment rose at a modestly increased rate of 6,900 in January to a two-year high of 1.605m but this is well down on the increases seen a few months ago." | "Admittedly claimant count unemployment rose at a modestly increased rate of 6,900 in January to a two-year high of 1.605m but this is well down on the increases seen a few months ago." |
| Graeme Leach, chief economist at the Institute of Directors, said: "The labour market isn't signalling recession but it's hardly suggesting recovery either." | |
| The ONS said that public sector employment had dropped while that in the private sector had gone up. | |
| The latest available figures, for September 2011, showed that the number of people with public sector jobs fell by 67,000 from June to 5.99 million. | |
| In the same period, the number of private sector jobs rose by 5,000 to 23.12 million. | |
| Earnings squeezed | Earnings squeezed |
| The ONS data also showed that average earnings increased by 2% in the year to December, unchanged from the previous month. | The ONS data also showed that average earnings increased by 2% in the year to December, unchanged from the previous month. |
| That figure lags well below the rate of inflation and indicates a continued squeeze on spending power. | That figure lags well below the rate of inflation and indicates a continued squeeze on spending power. |
| Earlier this week, official figures showed the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation fell to 3.6% in January, from 4.2% in December. | Earlier this week, official figures showed the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation fell to 3.6% in January, from 4.2% in December. |
| Vicky Redwood, economist at Capital Economics, said: "We continue to expect unemployment to rise much further in response to the weakness in the wider economy. | Vicky Redwood, economist at Capital Economics, said: "We continue to expect unemployment to rise much further in response to the weakness in the wider economy. |
| "At least with inflation falling, the squeeze on real pay is easing. But it won't be for a few months yet until real pay actually starts to rise again." | "At least with inflation falling, the squeeze on real pay is easing. But it won't be for a few months yet until real pay actually starts to rise again." |
| Are you looking for work? Please get in contact if you are willing to talk to the BBC about your experiences of unemployment. | Are you looking for work? Please get in contact if you are willing to talk to the BBC about your experiences of unemployment. |