14.03.12
Unemployment at 2.67 million
Employment statistics show that unemployment has increased by 28,000 in the period from November 2011 to January 2012 compared to the previous quarter.
The total number of unemployed people is 2.67 million, the highest since 1995. Additionally, the unemployment rate is 8.4% of the economically active population, up 0.1% on the quarter.
The Office for National Statistics reported that the employment rate for those aged 16-64 was 70.3%, unchanged on the quarter. There were 29.12 million people in employment, up 9,000 on the quarter.
The number of those employed in the public sector fell by 37,000 over the quarter to reach 5.94 million, which is the lowest figure since June 2003. In comparison, employment in the private sector rose by 45,000 to reach 23.17 million.
The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance increased by 7,200 to 1.61 million in February.
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