Long-term dole level 'doubled in a year'

New analysis of jobless figures suggests that the level of long-term unemployed claiming the dole has almost doubled in under a year.

The TUC compared the number of people who in December 2008 had been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for 12 months or more with figures released last week, detailing the level in November this year.

It found that the number had risen from 103,930 to 201,015 over the 11 months, according to the labour market statistics released last week by the Office for National Statistics.

And this claimant figure does not even tell the full story, the TUC says. It points out that the same report found the total number of long-term unemployed – not just those claiming unemployment benefit - was 620,000,the highest number since 1997.

Meanwhile, the organisation has warned that the level of long-term unemployed is only set to rise as the UK economy limps into the 2010.

According to the TUC, in November there were 58 local authorities with 1,000 or more long-term claimants - a number which has more than trebled from the 19 in December last year. Meanwhile, it claims that JSA claimant levels have doubled across 267 UK local authority areas, while there have been sharp increases in rural areas.

One of the age groups hardest-hit by long-term unemployment has been 18-24-year-olds, with record levels of joblessness announced last week. However, the Government has pledged to address the situation, promising that from January anyone under 25 who has been on unemployment benefit for more than six months will be guaranteed a job, training, or work experience.

This promise should be broadened, the TUC says, though it praised Government investment, saying it had reduced the impact of the recession.

General secretary Brendan Barber said: "Every job loss is a human tragedy, but when people are out of work for over a year they risk being permanently scarred by joblessness.

"The Government should extend its job guarantee for young people to anyone out of work for 18 months to stop people getting mired in semi-permanent joblessness."