Unemployment and redundancy continue to rise

Posted 15/06/2010

The number of UK residents facing unemployment and redundancy has continued to rise in recent months, according to government figures.

New Office for National Statistics data has revealed that the number of people unemployed in Britain has increased by 23,000 during the three months ending April 2010.

This means that there are now 2.47 million unemployed people in the UK, while the number of those classified as economically inactive – which includes people not seeking jobs – now stands at 8.19 million, the highest total on record.

Owen James, economist from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, warned that the labour market is not yet ready to recover.

He told the Daily Mail: “Over the medium-term, things are only likely to get worse before they get better.”

The figures were also described as “bleak” by Trades Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber, who warned that planned government spending cuts could lead to even more workers facing redundancy.