Youth unemployment rises in most areas

This article is provided courtesy of the news feed at http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news

Two thirds of local authorities across the UK have experienced an increase in youth unemployment since last year, according to a new report from the TUC.

Across ten areas the number of 18-24 year olds claiming dole for more than six months has more than doubled, with Medway, West Lothian and South Ayrshire witnessing the highest increases.

The TUC says that with youth unemployment at 17% - more than twice the national average - and each graduate vacancy attracting an average of 69 applications, young people are in urgent need of support.

‘Previous investment in employment schemes helped to keep many thousands off benefits and in paid work’, said Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary.

‘But having made an early decision to scrap the £1.2 billion Future Jobs Fund and the Young Person’s Guarantee, the government has yet to announce similarly well-funded support to get people back into decent paid work. Young people struggling for work this summer should be very concerned by the government’s silence.’

The TUC used Jobseekers Allowance data, which shows the number of young people claiming dole for over six months has increased by 21% to 103,230. This figure represents a third of the total number of young people out of work for more than 6 months, which reached 338,000 between March and May this year.

Official data from the Office of National Statistics published today gave a mixed picture of the UK labour market. The number of jobless people fell by 49,000 in the three months to June, but claimant count for July saw a fall of only 3,800.