Britain jobless rate hits 17-year high

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170358.html

The UK unemployment rate has reached a 17-year high, marking a rise to 8% in the first three months of this year, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS report showed that the number of people out of work in the UK increased by 27,000 over the previous three months to 2.53 million in the three months to January 2011, the highest total since 1994.

Youth unemployment increased to record levels again in the last three months at a time when university tuition fees are skyrocketing, support to stay in further education is disappearing, and services to find employment, education or training are being hacked away.

The jobless rate for those aged from 16 to 24 increased by 0.8% to reach 20.6%, the highest figure since comparable records in 1992.

According to Unison general secretary Dave Prentis, the new figures further reveal “the Conservative-Liberal Democrats' vicious assault on the vulnerable people of the society.”

“The Con-Dem cuts had created an abandoned generation - collateral damage of the government's failing economic policy," said Prentis.

Meanwhile, the general secretary of public sector union GMB, Paul Kenny addressed the people before the national Trade Union Congress (TUC) demonstration in London on March 26.

“There was widespread revulsion that the government is deliberately adding to the dole queues at a time when the economy has not recovered from the 'bankers' recession,” Kenny said.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said that it was "outrageous" for Employment Minister Chris Grayling to boast about the increase of 32,000 people in work -- the highest rise since last autumn.

"The government's aloof response to mounting unemployment will give no confidence that it is committed to growth or it understands that not only is it stimulating unemployment, it is also stimulating a rise in insecure work,” said McCluskey.