UK unemployment hits 17-year high

Unemployment in the UK increased by 114,000 for the three months to August to 2.57m people - the highest number since 1994, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Its latest figures showed that the unemployment rate for the country is now 8.1%, up 0.4% on the previous quarter and the highest rate since the three months to July 1996. Young people continue to be particularly badly hit, with unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds hitting a record high of 991,000, up 74,000. The jobless rate among young people is now more than one in five, rising 1.6% to 21.3%. Part-time workers also saw record cuts, with numbers down 175,000 over the quarter to 7.78m. In total, there are 29.1m people aged over 16 employed in the UK, down 178,000 on the previ...