Unemployment increases

Unemployment showed an unwelcome bounce back upwards, according to latest official data.

Under the Labour Force Survey (LFS) count, unemployment rose by 43,000 to 2.5 million in the three months to February compared with the previous three months. As a result the jobless rate rose to 8.0% from 7.8%.

The number of jobless men was up by 23,000 to 1.53 million and their unemployment rate rose to 9.1% from 8.9%.

Meanwhile, the number of unemployed women went up by 20,000 to 970,000 and their unemployment rate was up to 6.7% from 6.6% previously.

The LFS count includes people looking for work but not eligible for benefits, and is the government’s preferred measure.

On the other hand, the monthly claimant count, which only includes those claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), posted a drop. It showed a fall of 32,900 to 1.54 million in March and the unemployment rate fell to 4.8% from 4.9%.

Unemployed men on benefit fell by 29,100 to 1.12 million and their unemployment rate was down to 6.4%. The number of women claiming JSA was down by 3,800 to 427,500, but their jobless rate remained at 2.9%.