The number of people on benefits across Coventry and Warwickshire has risen for the third straight month, according to the latest figures.
The Office of National Statistics say there were 19,777 Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants in February, 434 more than in January.
It continues to buck a steady trend through 2010 of falling claims.
Across the West Midlands, the jobless total between November 2010 and January 2011 was 265,000 – or 9.9%.
The figure means the region is now the UK’s second-worst area in terms of employment performance, only behind the North East.
Total unemployment in the UK has also risen – by 27,000 to 2.49 million.
Youth joblessness also rose to its highest level since 1994.
Caveat: The numbers claiming 'Jobseekers Allowance' has never been a good guide one way or the other to the actual numbers unemployed. What is a national disgrace and growing timebomb is that the number of young people who have never worked since leaving school, have never paid tax or national insurance contributions and have little prospect of ever doing so, has risen inexorably for many years.
