The total UK working age unemploymed for August to October 2009 stood at 7.9 per cent, unchanged over the three month period, leaving the total unemployed population in the UK now standing at 2.49 million, the highest figure since the three months to March 1995. However, this is the smallest quarterly increase in the number of unemployed people since March to May 2008.

Susan Barclay, from Scottish Provident, believes the figures show that the threat of unemployment still looms large for people in the UK.

’Our consumer research with Ipsos Mori shows that 58% of those questioned who are in full time employment believe that losing their job is a major concern at present,” she said.

’With employment figures having risen by 21,000 since August it is vital that consumers take the opportunity to explore the options available to them in order to protect themselves and their families.’

The Key Unemployment Figures: August – October 2009

• The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in October fell from previous months and there was also a slight increase in the number of vacancies.
• The employment rate for August to October 2009 was 72.5 per cent, unchanged on over the quarter with 28.93 million people in employment.
• The number of women in part-time employment increased by 122,000 on the quarter to reach a record high of 5.84 million, the number of men in part-time
  employment was unchanged, and there were quarterly falls in the numbers of both men and women in full-time employment.
• There were just over one million employees and self-employed people working part-time because they could not find a full-time job. This is the highest figure since records for this series began in 1992 and it is up 34,000 on the quarter.
• The number of people unemployed for up to six months fell by 98,000 on the quarter to reach 1.31 million.
• The number of people unemployed for more than 12 months increased by 49,000 over the quarter to reach 620,000, the highest figure since the three months to November 1997.
• The unemployment rate for 18 to 24 year olds increased by 0.9 percentage points on the quarter to reach 18.4 per cent, the highest figure since records for this series began in 1992.
• The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (the claimant count), in November 2009, decreased by 6,300 on the month to reach 1.63 million. This is the first monthly fall in the claimant count since February 2008.
• The number of vacancies in the three months to November 2009 was 432,000, up slightly compared with the previous quarter.

Source: Office for National Statistics

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