Be careful because just when you thought that it was safe to tell your boss to stick his job then these figures have just been released

This article which we want to share with you confirms that the UK unemployment total has now reached a 17-year high.

UK unemployment rose by 114,000 between June and August to 2.57 million, a 17-year high, according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate also increased to 8.1%.

The unemployment total for 16-24 year olds hit a record high of 991,000 in the quarter, a jobless rate of 21.3%.

The number of people out of work and claiming benefits rose 17,500 to 1.6 million in September.

Other figures showed a record cut in the number of part-time workers, down by 175,000, and there was also a record reduction of 74,000 in the number of over-65s in employment.

The data drew a mixed reaction from economists.

Ross Walker, from RBS Financial Markets, said the picture was not altogether gloomy: “The drop in total employment is bigger than people thought. But it is worth noting that it is almost entirely part-time.

“So in the latest quarter, full-time employment – which to me is always the single most important indicator – was down just 2,000 and it’s still up over the past year by about 124,000.”

But Alan Clarke, of Scotia Capital, said the figures were a “disaster”.

He added: “That (the data) shouldn’t come as a surprise because the economy is growing at half the pace it needs to keep unemployment stable. That’s not going to change anytime soon, so we should get used to numbers like this.”

Previous data which we posted here at debtadvicenow confirms that an article showed the UK unemployment rose by 80,000 in the three months to July this year to 2.51 million, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That is is the largest increase in nearly two years.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (the claimant count) in August rose by 20,300 – a smaller rise than July’s 33,700 increase – to 1.58 million.

Youth unemployment rose sharply – by 78,000 to 973,000.

The total number of unemployed men rose by 39,000 to 1.45 million in the three months to July, while the number of women out of work increased by 41,000 to 1.06 million, the highest figure since the three months to April 1988.

Note: In August 2010 the ONS revised the way it calculates claimant count figures as a result of changes in the state pension age for women. Included in the July figures for the first time are women aged 60-64 who are out of work and claiming unemployment benefit. The result of this change has caused an approximately 0.2-0.3 percentage point difference in the rates.

So if you concerned about your debt levels and falling income then please talk to us you know it makes sense.

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