BBC documentary - a job to get work

With the government promising a welfare revolution, getting people off benefits and into work, Panorama visits the seaside resort of Rhyl in North Wales. In some parts of the town, nearly half of the adult population are on benefits.

The programme follows the real life stories of some of the unemployed there, and asks the government whether this battle can really be won.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yctGH7zl7h8

UK unemployment falls again

The rate of unemployment in the UK dropped to 7.7% between May and July from 7.8% in the previous three months.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24045546

Unemployment Figure Could Be Double, TUC Says

The union organisation says a further 2.26 million people who want a job are not being classified as unemployed.

http://news.sky.com/story/1138688/unemployment-figure-could-be-double-tuc-says

Economicshelp archive on Unemployment

 

 

Some interesting articles on the topic of unemployment.

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/category/unemployment/

Learning lessons from Germany about unemployment

Germany has an explicit policy of pushing employers toward shortening work hours rather than laying-off workers

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/04/20134193422249557.html

UK Unemployment Target

The new Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, has implemented a type of unemployment target.

As part of forward guidance, the Bank of England state that:

Interest rates won’t rise from 0.5% until unemployment falls below at least 7%.

 

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/7738/economics/uk-unemployment-target/

Young and Jobless

BBC site with a range of articles on the young and jobless.

Young and Jobless

Italy on a budget

Italy is in the middle of a money crisis which is having an impact on everyone - including school pupils. If Italy doesn't get its finances under control, the problem will have a knock-on effect around the world.

Schools World Service Reporter Ben Thompson journeys through Italy to find out how young people are coping.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldclass/16069714

EU launches youth employment plan

The European Commission has announced a plan to tackle youth unemployment in the 27 EU member countries.

The Youth Opportunities Initiative promises to create 370,000 work placements across the EU.

It proposes a youth guarantee to put young people in work, study or training within four months of leaving school.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16274113

More pain in Spain as unemployment benefit payments rise

Missed forecast could add billions to budget deficit as Mariano Rajoy tries to fight off bailout

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/sep/04/spain-unemployment-benefit-payments-budget?INTCMP=SRCH

UN warns of 'catastrophic' rise in European youth unemployment if Greece left eurozone

The UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned of a "catastrophic" rise in unemployment, especially among the young, if debt-wracked Greece were to leave the eurozone or if the bloc were to split.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/9511027/UN-warns-of-catastrophic-rise-in-European-youth-unemployment-if-Greece-left-eurozone.html

EU unemployment hits 25m

With an estimated 25.254m unemployed across the full European Union, which also includes non-euro heavyweights Britain and Poland, the figures add to concerns over a plunge back into recession for the eurozone and its nearest neighbours.

At 5.5pc, the unemployment rate was much lower in powerhouse Germany, as well as the neighbouring economies of Austria and the Netherlands, but more than one-in-four are still out of work in Spain, AFP reported.

Annual increases in Spain and Greece were easily the highest, and both countries, labouring under sovereign and banking debt crises, logged jobless rates among the key under-25s age-group of more than 50pc.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/9511255/Eurozone-unemployment-hits-record-18m.html

Data showing how young black men have been hit by unemployment

Unpublished unemployment statistics seen by the Datablog appear to show young black men hit harder by the recession than young whites. 

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/mar/09/black-unemployed-young-men

http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16185997

One in two young Greeks are unemployed as jobs crisis spirals

Greece's youth unemployment rate hit 51.1pc in December, official statistics from ELSTAT showed on Thursday.

In contrast, Germany's youth unemployment rate is just 7.8pc.

The worrying youth jobless figure in Greece has overtaken crisis-hit Spain, which has its own youth jobless rate of 49.9pc, according to the latest available figures.

Overall, the jobless rate in Greece hit 21pc, up from 20.9pc in November and twice the eurozone rate.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/9131430/One-in-two-young-Greeks-are-unemployed-as-jobs-crisis-spirals.html

 

Unemployment matters more than GDP or inflation

Guardian article - the jobless figures are the one major economic indicator that measures people. And they demonstrate the toll in misery across Europe.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/mar/04/unemployment-matters-more-gdp-inflation

Youth unemployment

Article courtesy of Bryn Jones on UK and Australian youth unemployment -

http://brynsaseconomicsblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/unit-2-problems-of-youth-unemployment.html

Unemployment increases to 2.64 million

Unemployment has increased from 7.9% to 8.3% the highest since 1992.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16175309

Govt action to reduce youth unemployment

Copied from Bryn's blog - http://brynsaseconomicsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/unit-2-government-action-to-reduce.html

£1bn scheme will 'provide hope' to young jobless

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says a £1bn plan to provide subsidised work and training placements will "provide hope" to thousands of young people.

The three-year youth contract scheme will give employers subsidies worth £2,275 to take on 160,000 18-to 24-year-olds for six months.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15878796

Unemployment rises to 2.62 million

UK unemployment rose by 129,000 in the three months to September to 2.62 million, as youth unemployment rose above a million.

The jobless total for 16 to 24-year-olds hit a record of 1.02 million in the quarter and female unemployment was at its highest for 23 years.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the jobless rate hit 8.3%.

The number of people out of work and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance rose by 5,300 to 1.6 million in October.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15747103