One in five young people out of work

• Surprise drop in total of people out of work to 2.48m • Women claiming jobseeker’s allowance at near 15-year high • Unemployed 16 to 25-year-olds down in January but up 12,000 on quarter Youth unemployment has remained at near record levels with more than one in five young people out of work, data released on Wednesday showed. The number of people aged between 16 and 25 who were out of work hit 963,000 in the three months to February – 12,000 more than in the previous quarter. This pushed Britain’s youth unemployment rate up by 0.1 percentage points to 20.4%. The number of unemployed 16 to 17-year-olds increased by 14,000 on the quarter to reach 218,000, while the number of unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds fell by 2,000 on the quarter to reach 745,000. The Office for National Statistics also reported that the number of women claiming jobseeker’s allowance has reached a near 15-year high of 462,300. The youth unemployment data was slightly better than a month ago. The total number of young people out of work, which is measured on a rolling three-month basis, had hit 974,000 in the three months to January , the highest level since records began in 1992. The ONS also reported a surprise fall in the number of people out of work. The UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) measure of unemployment showed that 2.48 million people were out of work in the three months to February, lowering the unemployment rate from 8% to 7.8%. But the number of people claiming unemployment benefit in March rose by 700. Campaigners have warned that Britain risks creating a “lost generation” of young people who are unable to find work. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber criticised the government today for scrapping the Future Jobs Fund, which provided grants to firms who created new jobs. Huddlebuy, a group buying websites for small businesses, reported today that two-thirds of small firms have delayed taking on new staff because of the uncertain economic conditions. Unemployment and employment statistics Economics Unemployment Public sector cuts Public sector pay Economic policy Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk

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