Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsEconomics, government & business

UK unemployment soars to 2.43 million

by Louisa Peacock 12 Aug 2009
by Louisa Peacock 12 Aug 2009

Unemployment has soared to 2.43 million in the three months to June, an increase of 220,000, and up 750,000 on the year, official figures have shown.

The unemployment rate was 7.8%, up 0.7 percentage points from the previous three months, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed.

In July, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits also increased by 24,900, to 1.58 million â€“ 4.9% of the workforce, up 0.1% from the previous month.

The figures continue to show a discrepancy between the number of people claiming benefits and the number of people unemployed, which has prompted an official government inquiry, announced yesterday.

The number of 18- to 24-year-olds out of work reached 722,000 in the three months to June 2009, up 46,000 from the three months to March 2009 – although this is 4,000 less than the total figure published in the three months to May 2009.

Meanwhile, the CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook, out on Monday, showed that almost one in 10 employers intended to recruit migrant workers in the third quarter of 2009, despite the unemployment figures for UK nationals continuing to fall.

The ONS data found the number of UK-born people in employment was 25.1 million in the three months to June 2009, down 625,000 on the year. The number of employed people not born in the UK was 3.73 million, up 22,000 on the year.

More than one-quarter of employers taking part in the CIPD/KPMG survey said that they recruited migrant workers to fill jobs because they could not find UK workers to do the job.

Three in 10 private sector firms (32%) turn to migrants because they find it difficult to fill vacancies with UK workers. More than two-thirds of employers in the hotels, catering and leisure sector and more than half of employers in transport and communications, both of whom will see staffing levels decrease in the coming months, say they have difficulty finding UK nationals to fill the role.

Forty-three per cent of NHS employers and 28% of education bodies give the same reason for recruiting migrant workers.

Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), said: “The idea that migrant workers comprise a marginal segment of the UK workforce that is dispensed with when times are tough is clearly wide of the mark.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Migrant workers will continue to be relatively attractive to UK employers â€“ even in a recession when many UK-born people are jobless. The best way to provide ‘British jobs for British workers’ is to make Brits better equipped to compete in the jobs market rather than raise barriers to skilled migrants.”

Dave Conder, head of HR at KPMG, added: “As well as recruiting the best UK and European talent, employers do need the flexibility to be able to recruit from outside the European Economic Area to fill skills gaps in the workforce.”

Louisa Peacock

previous post
Older long-term unemployed at risk of never working again, TUC warns
next post
MP Stewart Jackson pledges support for agency bid on new legislation

You may also like

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Pay awards in real terms could fall for...

21 May 2025

Ryanair demands flight attendants pay back salary increase

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

UK and EU agree to collaborate on ‘youth...

19 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+