UK unemployment figures due amid fears for youth jobs

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There are more than one million unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK

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UK unemployment figures for the three months to June will be published later on Wednesday, amid warnings that young people are finding it increasingly difficult to find work.

Last month's figures showed there are 2.58 million people out of work in the UK, with the unemployment rate standing at 8.1%.
The number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work stood at 1.02 million.
The TUC has warned the job outlook for the young is its toughest since 1994.
In a report ahead of the unemployment figures, the union said the proportion of young people in full-time education had risen from 24% in 1992 to 41% this year.
"Students looking to start their careers or continue in their education next month are facing the toughest climate for nearly 20 years," said the TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.
"It's particularly worrying that long-term joblessness for young people is still rising, even as overall unemployment falls. If this continues we could lose a generation of talented and highly qualified youngsters to blighted careers, debt and under-achievement."
'Committed' The TUC said the government should be doing more to tackle high unemployment.
But the government argued that youth unemployment was falling and it had schemes in place to ensure it continued doing so.
"Last month's figures showed a fall in youth unemployment and there are fewer young people on Jobseekers Allowance or other temporary support than in May 2010," said a spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions.
"But this is still a big challenge and we don't underestimate it for one moment, which is why we are committed to helping young people get the skills and experience they need to get a job.
"Over the next three years the Youth Contract will offer nearly 500,000 opportunities for young people through work experience, apprenticeships and wage subsidies to help them find work."
The TUC also warned about the number of long-term unemployed. The Office for National Statistics' figures for the three months to May showed that the number of people out of work for more than two years rose by 18,000 to 441,000, the highest since 1997.
The number of unemployed in the UK hit 2.68 million in November last year, and has fallen slowly since. However, it is still well above the 1.62 million that were unemployed in February 2008, before the financial crisis and global downturn took hold.
Some analysts argue that the estimated 100,000 people employed temporarily during the Olympics may struggle to find work, putting pressure on the unemployment numbers in the coming months.

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