UK unemployment to go past the 2 million mark

For the first time under new Labour, unemployment is about to tip past the 2 million mark ahead of official figures that are to be released later today that will show tens of thousands of job losses over the last quarter of 2008.

At present the jobless rate is increasing twice as fast as on the continent, as the unemployment total reached 1.92 million in the three months to the end of November and with 27,000 job losses from Woolworths and many thousands being made redundant by major employers, expectations are for the worst.

Only yesterday RBS announced a further 2,300 redundancies in a situation that has seen many firms having to make job cuts.

As a result of the damage caused by the recession the total seeking jobseekers allowance reached 1.16 million in December.

James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said that the times are tough in the current economic climate. However he promised that the government will do all they can to make sure that long-term unemployment does not settle.

Gordon Brown is to meet business leaders and executives from Sainsbury’s, the Royal Mail, Whitbread, Centrica, National Express and Travelodge, along with the National Employment Partnership in a bid to think of new ways to help those who have lost their jobs.

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