Unemployment rises to 2.67 Million

UK unemployment rose by 48,000 to 2.67 million in the three months to December, official figures have shown, the smallest rise in almost a year.

Women made up two-thirds of that increase and there was a new record in the number of people working part-time who want full-time jobs.

The unemployment rate edged up to 8.4%, the Office for National Statistics said, the highest for 16 years.

There was also a new record for the number of jobless young people.

The number of 16 to 24-year-olds without a job rose 22,000 to 1.04m, taking the unemployment rate to 22.2%. This figure includes young people in full-time education who are also looking for work.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in January increased by 6,900 to 1.6 million.

Full article HERE

This was great news to wake up to this morning. 2.67 Million unemployed people in the UK. As I said in my opening post, I know I'm not the only one, and now I know just how many other people like me there are.

Thanks to a handy Interactive Map over on the BBC, I can even find out just how bad the economy is in my local area, and probably find out just how many jobless there are to.

Our economy has been falling to pieces for years now, after only a mild boom during the 90s after the previous recession in the 80s. I honestly can't believe nobody saw it coming, with everybody increasing their profits and buying things they really didn't need (seriously, how many houses does one person need? How bedrooms?).

With many businesses at the moment either failing miserably (say goodbye to Cable & Wireless, since my father is just about to be made redundant from them as they're going down the shitter to), or making record profits, it's really no surprise at all that people like my wife and I are jobless.

I wonder what would happen if the companies making huge amounts of profit started to lower their prices and let the money trickle back into society?

I'm not an economist, so I can't really comment...but I can't help but think it'd help at least a small amount.

I hate to jump on the media bandwagon here, but honestly...million pound bonuses being given to the higher ups in banks, or big businesses, and yet people like my parents or relatives, people like my friends and neighbours, are struggling to make ends meet.

It's days like this that something like suicide really feels like a viable option.