Sharpest rise in unemployment for two years

UK unemployment has seen the sharpest quarterly rise in over two years, with the number of jobless people rising 80,000 to 2.51 million.

According to the Office for National Statistics, unemployment has now risen to 7.9%, after rising 0.3% in the last quarter. This is the largest quarterly rise since August 2009. Public sector employment fell by 110,000 but was partly offset by a rise in private sector employment, which rose by 41,000. The number of people in employment in the economy also fell, by 69,000 to 29.17 million. The total claiming Jobseeker's Allowance rose by 20,300 in August to 1.58 million. Today's figures come as a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warned the UK faces a lo...