(UK) Youth joblessness highest since Tories last in power, new figures to reveal

[alp227]

Source: Guardian

More than a million young people are now unemployed, the highest number since the Conservatives were last in power, government figures to be published this week are expected to reveal.

The figures have been swollen by the number of graduates and school-leavers who have failed to find work after joining the jobs market this summer. Unemployment rose by 80,000 to reach 2.51 million in the three months to July, 77,000 of whom were 18- to-24-year-olds, lifting the youth joblessness total to 973,000.

But new figures taking into account the last three months are expected to be the worst since comparable statistics were first recorded in the early 1990s.

Howard Archer of consultancy IHS Global Insight said this week's figures were likely to show a 90,000 increase, pushing the total number of people out of work on the government's preferred measure to 2.6 million – above its previous peak and the highest level in 17 years – and pushing the number of unemployed young people above 1 million. It is already known that the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in August rose by 20,300. Archer said: "The worry is that, having shown impressive resilience earlier this year, the labour market is increasingly buckling under serious pressure from weak economic activity."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/oct/08/youth-unemployment-figures-one-million

[dipsydoodle]

1. How does that compare with the USA ?

Got all all your "jobs" issues over there sorted out now ?

Perhaps bear in mind that the root cause was the worldwide financial crash which occurred whilst Labour and Bush were in "power". IF you've got a jobs problem there too does that make it Obama's fault ?

btw - the UK's unemployment current rate is 7.9% and the USA's 9.1%

An added issue here in the UK is our Employment Protection Laws which whilst obviously for the overall good are currently believed to acting as a deterrent to companies taking on more staff for fear of not being able to reduce staffing levels again easily should circumstances arise.

[ikri]

2. The Employment Protection Law argument is a poor excuse

Most of the actual protections don't kick in until after 6 months of employment and a large number of companies employee new staff on week-to-week contracts for the first few months during a "probationary" period. I've not worked for any company in the UK in the last 15 years who haven't had strict probationary periods, initial short-term contracts or similar mechanisms to make sure they can let new staff go if they decide they've hired the wrong person.

The companies who complain about people being too hard to fire are either shit at HR (fail to follow correct procedures to remove staff) or just want to be able to fire higher earners without being sued.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Its currently a year

not 6 months. Under current discussion is increasing that to two years. I mentioned that subject as an aside only.

[StarsInHerHair]

4. & all the Hooverism in the world has so far failed the UK & they STILL dont get it

[workinclasszero]

5. Career Opportunities by The Clash

Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep you out the dock
Career opportunity, the ones that never knock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZOrkPIZ1JU

Its all coming back, no jobs, no future.

We are the 99%!