UK Unemployment At Worst Level For 17 Years

The UK jobless total reached a 17-year high in the three months to October, hitting 2.64 million.

The number of people out of work rose 128,000 in the period while youth unemployment, which covers 16-24 year olds, hit its highest level since records began in 1992 by passing the 1.027 million mark.

The growth was not enough to push the country's unemployment rate higher - still standing at 8.3%.

The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), also showed that benefit claims had risen by far less than expected last month.

There were 3,000 new claimants in November - well short of the 14,000 forecast - which took the total to 1.59 million.

October's increase was also revised down.

Separate ONS statistics showed that public sector employment had dropped to its lowest level since September 2003 in the third quarter, falling by 67,000 to 5.987 million.

While young people have been hardest hit by the economic slowdown, there are also concerns that women are struggling to secure jobs.

Last month, it was revealed there were over a million women out of work - the highest number since 1988.

Ahead of today's figures, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) had called on the Government to improve childcare arrangements to help women in the workplace.

The think-tank warns that the number of women out of work is set to rise as mothers struggle with the cost of childcare & jobs losses in the public sector.

It wants ministers to introduce universal childcare - which it says pays for itself through taxes.

It calculates that each mother returning to work part-time on an average wage would net the Treasury £4,860 over four years in additional tax, rising to £20,050 for full-timers.

Nick Pearce, IPPR director, said: "It is far better for our economy to have people in work and paying taxes than at home claiming benefits.

"Women will return to work if we can restart growth and give families access to free and high quality childcare."

Another report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said women fared slightly better than men in this year's jobs market, despite the public sector cuts and sharp fall in part-time employment.

The female unemployment rate has increased steadily from 6.5% to 7.5% since the end of the recession in 2009, but had fallen slightly relative to men this year.