Nearly 300,000 people are to spend their second Christmas on the dole, according to statistics published on Wednesday.

According to the Trade Union Congresses analysis of the official figures, the number of dole claimants who have been out of work for at least a year had increased by 35,000 since last year, leaving over a quarter of a million spending a second successive Christmas claiming benefits.

The number of long-term dole claimants over the Christmas period more than doubled from 122,000 in 2007 to 279,000, while last Christmas, 243,000 people had been out of work for at least a year.

Unemployment in Scotland and London had the sharpest increase in long-term dole claimants since last year at 28% and 24% respectively, while eight of the ten local authorities with the fastest increase in long-term claimants were in Scotland.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "As people gear up for the festive break, there won't be much cheer for the quarter of a million people who are spending their second successive Christmas on the dole.

"The shocking rise in long-term unemployment is not just a personal tragedy for the families and friends of those unable to find jobs, it can affect entire communities and carries a huge economic cost.

"What's most concerning is that as the dole queues mount, the government's response has been to brand many of those struggling for work as scroungers.

TUC analysis found that in the last Christmas before the recession, 29 local authorities had at least 1,000 people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for at least a year. The figure rose to 88 local authorities last year and now 105 local authorities have over 1,000 long-term dole claimants, including 14 who have at least 3,000 people claiming JSA for at least a year.

The number of people spending their third successive Christmas on the dole has also increased by a third on last year, with 75,000 people currently on JSA for at least two years.

(DW)