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Youth unemployment hits record high
16 Dec 2009Campaign groups voiced concern about youth unemployment today after the number of jobless youngsters reached a record high despite a series of Government measures.
The number of 16 to 24 year olds out of work was 952,000 in the three months to October, a quarterly rise of 6,000 and the highest figure since records began in 1992.
Union leaders and youth groups said everyone should be worried about "soaring" youth unemployment, while the Conservatives said the recession was having a "devastating" effect on young people.
Total unemployment increased by 21,000 to 2.49 million, the highest level since early 1995, although the quarterly rise was the smallest for 18 months.
The UK's unemployment rate has now reached a 13-year high of 7.9%.
There was some good pre-Christmas news for the Government in today's figures, which showed the first fall in the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance since February last year.
The total fell by 6,300 to 1.6 million - more than half a million higher than a year ago.
Other data from the Office for National Statistics showed the number of people out of work for more than a year increased by 49,000 in the latest quarter to 620,000, the worst total since 1997.
Unemployment among 18 to 24 year olds was 757,000, up by 26,000 from the three months to July, the highest since 1993.
Ministers welcomed the fall in the claimant count, saying the figures showed that policies to help people back to work were keeping unemployment much lower than in previous recessions.
Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper pledged to keep increasing help for the unemployed.
"It is encouraging that there are more people in jobs as we get near to Christmas, and also that so many more young people have been helped," she said.
"Government action is keeping unemployment much lower than in previous recessions.
"But it is still tough for a lot of people and we still expect unemployment to increase again in the New Year. So we are determined to do more, supporting a total of 400,000 extra youth opportunities over the next 18 months."
The Government announced more than 600 new jobs in the cultural, creative and sport sectors aimed at young people.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Today's figures show the economy is still on a knife edge. While the overall quarterly figures are encouraging, the data suggests there has been a sharper rise in unemployment more recently. This shows how vital it is the Government continues to dedicate significant resources to tackling joblessness."
Shadow work and pensions secretary Theresa May said: "This is yet more evidence of the devastating effect the recession is having on young people. Ministers need to stop trying to rewrite the unemployment figures and start tackling the problem.
"Almost two years after the recession began and unemployment began to rise, the Government's flagship guarantee for young people hasn't even started yet."
Ian Brinkley, associate director at the Work Foundation, said: "The labour market has turned a corner. Yet the recovery will not be felt everywhere as the rise in employment is entirely driven by part-time jobs in public-based industries and more traditional services such as hospitality and distribution.
"Full-time work is still falling, driven by continued job losses in manufacturing and acceleration in job losses in construction.
"There is no recovery for the employment for young people. The under 25s were the first to feel the recession and there is no sign of a revival in their job prospects."
Martin Narey, chief executive of Barnardo's said: "We should all be worried about soaring rates of youth unemployment, which represents a huge waste of talent and may do lasting damage both to the individual and to the economy, eroding young people's hopes and leading some to conclude that work may never be for them.
"Barnardo's is particularly worried about rising numbers of younger school leavers - aged just 16 or 17 - who have already experienced unemployment for more than a year."
Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Steve Webb said: "This is another sad milestone for young people. That slightly fewer people are claiming jobseeker's allowance will prove cold comfort to the record number of young people who are looking for work."
Dr John Philpott, chief economic adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said: "While it would be wrong to conclude that unemployment won't continue to rise for much of 2010, the 6,300 fall in the number of people on jobseeker's allowance (JSA) in November is remarkable.
"The fall reflects another dip in redundancies and further improvement in an already surprisingly strong flow off the count.
"Even the most optimistic forecasters would not have expected such a turnaround at this stage in the economic cycle which underscores the degree to which the UK's flexible labour market is performing much better than in previous recessions."
David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "Thanks to business, which has made Herculean efforts to keep and train their staff during the worst recession in decades, these unemployment figures are lower than expected."
The Conservatives said that for the second month running nearly half of all jobs lost in the UK were in Wales.
Reader views (2)
Tony Blair, 1997 - "Education, education, education!" 12 yesrs of record O and A level results and what have we got? A new generation of innumerate, illiterate no-hopers, but they're all full of notions of 'self-worth' and fully au-fait with their 'uman rights (and rights to benefits). Nice one, New Labour.
- Paul, London, 17/12/2009 08:34
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I understand that the increase in unemployment is being kept down by public servants being taken on, as is always the case under a Labour government.
Their pay increases are up too - twice the rate of we in the private sector of course.
We are paying for all this as well as their secure pensions whilst watching our own go down the drain.
- Michael, London, UK, 16/12/2009 18:24
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