22/04/2009

UK Unemployment Reaches 2.1m

The latest unemployment figures have been released, ahead of today's Budget, showing an increase by 177,000 to 2.1 million.

The grim figures were published as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed those claiming jobseeker's allowance increased by 73,700 last month to 1.45 million - the highest total since September 1997.

Net borrowing for March reached £19.1 billion - the highest level for a single month since records began in 1993 - the ONS added.

Government borrowing also reached £90bn this year, £12bn more than estimated in November.

People on long-term sick leave, those taking early retirement or have given up looking for work, remains at more than 20% of the workforce at 7.85 million.

Job vacancies fell by 68,000 in the quarter to March to a record low of 462,000, while a record 270,000 people were made redundant in the three months to February, the figures also revealed.

The figures have been released just hours before Chancellor Alistair Darling stands up in the Commons to outline his Budget.

It is understood Mr Darling will say the final bill for rescuing British banks will reach £60 billion.

Last night the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was forced to admit a mistake when it claimed the UK faced a £200bn bill for bailing out the banks.

A Treasury spokesman said the figure had been issued in the IMF's Global Financial Stability Report in error.

"The Budget will make a prudent provision for potential losses from banking interventions in line with our cautions approach to forecasting the public finances," the spokesman said.

(JM/BMcC)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

30 August 2005
Cancer services spending reaches record levels
The amount of spending on cancer services has reached record levels, the government has announced. According to the latest figures, additional investment in cancer services has reached £639 million, since 2000/01 - £69 million more than was committed in the 2000 NHS Cancer Plan.
30 March 2005
Government figures reveal drop in poverty figures
Fewer pensioners and children are living in poverty, new government figures have revealed. A report by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed that absolute pensioner poverty has dropped from 2.8 million in 1997 to 900,000 today, a drop of two-thirds.
12 November 2014
Employment At Record High - ONS
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed that unemployment in the UK fell by 115,000 between July and September, the 18th consecutive month the figure has come down. Total unemployment now stands at 1.96 million.
03 February 2014
One In Three Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer Are Over 70
One in three women diagnosed with breast cancer in England each year are aged 70 or over. This age group also accounts for more than half of all breast cancer deaths annually, latest figures show. This age group also accounts for more than half of all breast cancer deaths annually, latest figures show.
22 January 2014
ONS Figures Show Further Fall In UK Unemployment
New figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown that the UK's unemployment rate has fallen to 2.32 million, a decrease of 167,000 in the three months to November. The unemployment rate currently stands at 7.1%. The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance also dropped to 1.