Redundancy rate down over summer, says ONS

Posted 13/10/2009

The redundancy rate in the UK dropped to 233,000 in the three months to August 2009, official figures have revealed.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), this is down by 68,000 on the previous three-month period.

However, the redundancy rate is 85,000 up on the figure recorded a year earlier.

ONS figures also showed that unemployment has risen by 0.3 per cent to 7.9 per cent, which means that 2.47 million people are now out of work.

The TUC has warned that young people are being particularly hard hit by rising unemployment in Britain.

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the group, called on the government to offer support for 16 to 24-year-olds, as he believes they are “bearing the brunt of the recession”.

He also urged the government to ensure that unemployed young people who sign up for internships receive their legal rights and are paid at least the minimum wage.