Warning of grim landmark young jobless figure

Youth unemployment has increased in virtually every area of the UK in the past year and could soon hit a million, according to a new report.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Nov 2011, 06:00 BST

A study by the TUC said the number of jobless 18- to 24-year-olds rose in 196 of 202 local authorities in the year to September.

The only local authorities where youth unemployment has stalled in the last year are Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames and Richmond upon Thames, all in London, Reading and Warwickshire.

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Areas with the biggest increases in the number of young people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance between September 2010 and September 2011 included Hartlepool (up by 3.5 per cent), Darlington (3.2 per cent), Waltham Forest (3 per cent), Sandwell (2.9 per cent), and Doncaster, Torbay and Blackpool (all 2.7 per cent).

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “We’re facing the biggest youth unemployment crisis in a generation with close to one million of our young people unable to find work.

“With the economic outlook the gloomiest it’s been since the end of the recession, the bleak prospects facing young jobseekers look set to be with us for some considerable time to come, unless the Government changes course now.

“We need a proper replacement for the Future Jobs Fund, new measures to support the creation of more apprenticeships and a Government commitment that no unemployed young person will spend more than six months out of employment or high-quality training.”

Related topics:TUCGovernmentHartlepool