Yorkshire Unemployment increase by just over 3%

Unemployment in Yorkshire and the Humber has increased by 3.4% to 244,000 in the three months to February, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that 8,000 more people were unemployed in the region during the period.

Across the country a record number of 16 to 24-year-olds are out of work and more people than ever are in part-time jobs because they can’t find full-time employment.

Unemployment jumped by 44,000 in the final three months of 2010 to just under 2.5 million, a jobless rate of 7.9%.
But the youth unemployment rate is now 20.5% following a 66,000 increase to 965,000, the highest figures since records began in 1992.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance increased by 2,400 in January to 1.46 million, with the number of female claimants rising for the seventh month in a row to reach almost 450,000, the highest figure since 1996.

The number of people working part-time because they could not find full-time jobs increased by 44,000 to 1.19 million, the highest total since records began in 1992.

The number of people classed as economically inactive rose by 93,000 over the latest quarter to 9.36 million, a rate of 23.4%, including 1.57 million who retired before the age of 65, the highest figure since records began in 1993.
Ministers said they welcomed news that the labour market was “stabilising” after a “difficult” last few months, pointing out that there has been a sharp jump in the number of vacancies to half a million across the country, the highest in two years.

Work and Pensions Minister Chris Grayling said: “It’s been a difficult few months in the labour market but things do now seem to be stabilising. The rise in the number of vacancies is particularly encouraging.”

Source: Berwickshire News