Youngest left behind as unemployment growth 'slows'

The rise in unemployment has slowed to its lowest quarterly rate since May 2008, according to the latest labour market figures.

Data released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the number of unemployed people rose by 30,000 in the three months to September, when compared to the three months to June.

This takes the official unemployment figure to 2.46 million - though this is slightly down on last month's release, which found that 2.47 million people were unemployed at the end of August.

Comparing the three months to September with the previous quarter, the general unemployment rate rose only slightly - up by 0.1 percentage points to 7.8%.

But while the growth in the unemployment rate is slowing, it is the youngest who appear to have been hit hardest. Youth (18-24) unemployment was running at 18% in the three months to September - its highest level since the ONS started collecting comparable data in 1992.

This means that 746,000 18-24-year-olds were unemployed - up 24,000 on the previous quarter.

The Government's answer to the troubling figures appears to focus on recruitment into education.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson is later today expected to present Skills for Growth - the National Skills Strategy white paper, which will say that three-quarters of people should either go to university or take an advanced apprenticeship before they are 30.

Speaking on BBC Radio Four's Today programme, Lord Mandelson said: "The key thing for us is to make sure that short term joblessness amongst young people does not become long-term unemployment."