UK unemployment increases to 17-year peak

Thursday, March 17, 2011 

In the United Kingdom, the unemployment rate has increased by twenty-seven thousand and has achieved a total of 2.53 million. This figure, which was measured between October 2010 and January 2011, is the highest rate of unemployment the country has experienced since 1994.

	Clearly any increase in unemployment is unwelcome and a disappointment and it underlines the need for a Budget next week which focuses on growth, on creating an environment where businesses are growing and developing and creating jobs.
—Chris Grayling, Minister of State of Department for Work and Pensions

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) stated that the percentage of those jobless was eight per cent, the peak for that rate since 1996. In the three months approaching February 2011, nearly five hundred thousand occupations were vacant, an increase of twenty-four thousand in comparison to the preceding three months.

According to the ONS, the quantity of 16-24 year-old individuals without an occupation has increased by 0.8% to a record peak of 20.6%, including students who are seeking employment. British Prime Minister David Cameron described this number as "disappointing, once again".

The executive office also commented that, in February 2011, 10,200 fewer people were requesting Jobseeker's Allowance, causing the total amount to decrease to 1.45 million people. 25,000 more people aged 50–64 now have an occupation, causing the amount of those employed in that age demographic to rise to a record 7.3 million. Cameron has described this situation as a "very mixed picture".

According to BBC News Online, the average worker's wage was £453 ($729, €521), including bonuses, in January 2011. In comparison to last year, 2.3% of wages were larger in January of this year, which is less than half of the UK's Retail Price Index; it currently stands at 5.1%.

Overall, the total amount of employed individuals has increased by thirty-two thousand and now stands at 29.16 million, the peak value since autumn 2010. 132,000 public sector occupations were eliminated, whereas 428,000 of them have originated within the private sector. "Clearly any increase in unemployment is unwelcome and a disappointment and it underlines the need for a Budget next week which focuses on growth," commented Chris Grayling, the Minister of State of the Department for Work and Pensions, "on creating an environment where businesses are growing and developing and creating jobs."

Within the four UK countries, thirty-eight thousand more people in England have become unemployed. The unemployment levels in Northern Ireland and Wales have increased by four thousand and two thousand respectively. However, in Scotland, unemployment has decreased by sixteen thousand.

Related news

• "UK unemployment rate reaches thirteen-year high" — Wikinews, September 16, 2009
• "Number of unemployed in the UK climbs to 2.4 million" — Wikinews, August 13, 2009

Sources

• "UK unemployment total hits 17-year high" — BBC News Online, March 16, 2011
• Harry Wallop. "Wages fail to keep track with inflation" — The Telegraph, March 16, 2011

External links

• Office for National Statistics
• Office for National Statistics: 'Unemployment rate rises to 8.0 per cent'