UK unemployment up to highest level in 15 years
The number of people unemployed in the UK increased by 43,000 between December and February, reaching 2.5 million. The data released by the Office for National Statistics reveals that this is the highest level in more than 15 years, according to timesonline.co.uk.
The number of people on jobless benefits dropped by 32,900 in March to 1.54 million. Also, the number of “inactive” people in UK rose again by 110,000 in the quarter, to reach a record high of 8.16 million. Overall employment also dropped in the three months to February by 89,000, to a 14-year low of 28.8 million. The public sector will shed 600,000 workers over the next five years.
The data show that increasing numbers of people are taking up part-time work. The number of part-time workers who could not find a full-time job reached 1,046 million in the three months to February. Average earnings which include bonuses rose by 2.3 per cent in the three months to February, up from 0.8 per cent in the three months to January 2010.