Long-term unemployment hits 14-year high

[dutchman]

The UK's long-term unemployment level has soared to a 14-year high, new figures show.



According to data from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), 850,000 Brits have been unemployed for more than a year - a 20,000 rise on January's figures.

It is the highest level of long-term joblessness since 1997 and IPPR director Nick Pearce explained that being out of work for so long can have damaging effects on people.

He claimed that it can often make it harder to get back into the jobs market and noted that the underlying trends have been masked by what appears to be a stable level of overall unemployment.

Employment minister Chris Grayling explained that the government is worried about the statistics.

'That's why we're replacing the woefully inadequate programmes put in place by the last government to tackle the issue with the Work Programme, which comes on-stream next month and will give people tailored support designed around their needs to give them every possible chance of finding and keeping a job,' he said.

Earlier this month, the Office for National Statistics released data showing that the employment rate for those aged from 16 to 64 was up 0.2 per cent to 70.7 per cent in the three months to March 2011.