Government to spend £100m to support staff at risk of redundancy

The government has announced a £100m lifeline for workers worried about losing their jobs in the economic crisis.

The money will be spent helping both those made unemployed and those facing redundancy to gain the skills needed to get back into sustainable work.

Figures published today by the Office for National Statistics showed that UK unemployment rose by 164,000 in the three months to August to 1.79 million.

Employment minister Tony McNulty said: "The UK has one of the strongest labour markets in the developed world, which - along with the world class service provided by Jobcentre Plus - is geared up to deal with the current global economic difficulties.

"There are still jobs available, with more than 600,000 vacancies across the country. The new money we are announcing today will help fund training and support so that we can ensure people facing redundancy can access these vacancies and get back to work quickly."

The money will be targeted to help people working in sectors experiencing significant job losses, and those who need support to move back into work.