UK unemployment hit 1.92 million between September and November 2008

UK unemployment hit nearly two million between September and November 2008, the highest total in more than a decade.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed 1.92 million were out of work, the highest total since September 1997. However, the picture is likely to be far worse as the figure does not include the tens of thousands of job cuts since November.

The number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance increased by 77,900 to 1.16 million, up 349,500 over the year.

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Employment minister Tony McNulty said the figures were “very disappointing” and predicted things would “get worse before they get better”.

The redundancies level for the three months to November 2008 was 225,000, up 78,000 over the quarter and up 101,000 over the year. This is the highest figure since comparable records began in 1995.