Business News
British unemployment reaches a 14-year high
Sep 16, 2009, 13:28 GMT
London - Unemployment in Britain reached a 14-year high according to official figures released Wednesday which showed 210,000 more jobless by the end of July, for a total 2.47 million.
That reflected a 7.9 per cent unemployment rate, the Office for National Statistics said. The 210,000 increase, formed over the preceding three months, came despite signs the economy was reviving.
The number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work rose from 928,000 to 947,000 - a record since statistics for that age group began in 1992 and meaning that one in five young people were jobless as their total crept ever closer to one million.
With unemployment now at its highest since May 1995, Employment Minister Jim Knight said the government was doing all it could to get people back into work.
'We know things will still be tough for some time and unemployment is likely to keep increasing, even once the economy starts growing again - that's why it's critical that we continue investing in people's future and don't just abandon them,' Knight said.
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