[url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jan/18/unemployment-public-sector-strikes?commentpage=2#start-of-commentsOh the joy![/url

More work for the Emma Harrison's of this world then.

- The unemployment rate has risen to 8.4%, the highest since November 1995

- The unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds not in full time education is 20.7%, the highest since comparable records began in 1992 although the Labour Force Survey indicates that there was a higher percentage of 16-24 year olds out of work during the mid 1980s.

- The total unemployed has risen to 2.68 million, the highest number out of work since August 1994

- In November 2011 there were 988000 working days lost to strikes, the worst month for industrial disputes since July 1989

Notice how all of these "the highest since" are from the days of the last Tory government. And the 1994/95 era was hardly the worst of those days either, that was regarded as a period of comparable stability after the dark days of the early 1990s, and nowhere near as bad as the early to mid 1980s. It puts in context how things were then, that whilst we regard things as really bad now, it was about the same as in the better days of old Tory government.

I expect as unemployment worsens those "worst since" comparisons will go to different periods of the Thatcher and Major years.

It also puts in context how good things were in the Blair era, despite what people think of his foreign policy.

Its going to get even worse too. When the time limit of ESA comes into effect either this April or next April depending on if the Tories use their 18th century law to overturn the Lords decision that they are threatening to do, around 500,000 claimants who will no longer qualify for ESA will be placed onto JSA.

Comforting to see you doing your bit to keep the figures up

Quote ="The Tory Graph"Mr Grayling attributed the rise in the unemployed to, "people who were previously inactive, students in full time study who are now looking for a part time job, and perhaps women bringing up children thinking they need to go back to work."'" Source: www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs ... -high.html I think it's an absolute disgrace that Chris Grayling chooses to try and excuse the unemployment figures as complex. You'd think that after Tony Blair's 'Education, education, education' era would be best followed by a coalitions 'Jobs, jobs, jobs' era. But no we just have this sorry excuse of a policy.

Quote ="The Tory Graph"Mr Grayling attributed the rise in the unemployed to, "people who were previously inactive, students in full time study who are now looking for a part time job, and perhaps women bringing up children thinking they need to go back to work."'" Source: www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs ... -high.html I think it's an absolute disgrace that Chris Grayling chooses to try and excuse the unemployment figures as complex. You'd think that after Tony Blair's 'Education, education, education' era would be best followed by a coalitions 'Jobs, jobs, jobs' era. But no we just have this sorry excuse of a policy.

It goes up when Tories are in office.

Its a price worth paying.

Get on your bike...

Whats the problem? I've heard a couple of people say the private sector will expand to provide jobs for all the unemployed!

That doesn't sound bad compared to 30 years ago. There used to be over 3 million unemployed when the population was smaller back in 82! news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/date ... 506335.stm I have a feeling though that the way the collect the figures is different now and who they classify unemployed is different now, so maybe if you went by the 1982 method, at present there'd be a hell of a lot more.

That doesn't sound bad compared to 30 years ago. There used to be over 3 million unemployed when the population was smaller back in 82! news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/date ... 506335.stm I have a feeling though that the way the collect the figures is different now and who they classify unemployed is different now, so maybe if you went by the 1982 method, at present there'd be a hell of a lot more.

I fear this might be the case too. The Wolf report last year highlighted the 'collapse of the youth labour market'.

In 1974, 74% of 18 year olds were in work (17% in education/training)
In 2009, 40% of 18 year olds were in work (40% in education/training)

Thats why the figures today are generally quoted as the "ILO unemployment rate" which is the unemployment rate as defined by the International Labour Organisation, so that you can have more transparent comparisons from country to country and from year to year.

Here's a graph of the ILO defined unemployment rate in the UK:

Quote ="Damo-Leeds"Source: www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs ... -high.html. But no we just have this sorry excuse of a policy.'" what's your excuse for still being unemployed?

Quote ="Damo-Leeds"Source: www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs ... -high.html. But no we just have this sorry excuse of a policy.'" what's your excuse for still being unemployed?

There are 2,667,999 people more employable, lets worry about getting the close on 2m people who want to work back in jobs, worry about the shirkers later.

BG summed it up perfectly with regards to the 2million+ long queue in front of me that are more employable than myself in the entry level jobs that are available. However him implying that I'm a shirker is an absolute insult when I do voluntary work. Perhaps he thinks along the same lines as [url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/15/unemployed-young-people-need-jobsJan Moir and Vanessa Feltz when it comes to criticising the long term unemployed[/url.

The current figures show that there are 2.68 million unemployed and 463000 vacancies, which means 5.79 unemployed people for every vacancy. There is always a 'churn' of jobs so there will be vacancies at any one time but the number of vacancies illustrates how vibrant or stagnant the job market is, and ultimately until that vacancy number starts to rise, you won't get people back into work no matter what incentives you give them in terms of benefits etc.

It's a bit like saying you want more Super League clubs to get into the playoffs. You could put incentives like cutting the Sky funding for any club that finishes outside the top 8, it might make the competition more fierce, but you aren't going to get any more clubs into the top 8, there will still be 6 that finish outside it.

When unemployment is this high then the talk about the feckless and long term shirkers is futile as they are right down the bottom of the list for employers. There are a lot of employable people that have been made redundant and are looking hard for work, who are the most likely to be got back into work when the amount of job creation improves, but solving unemployment at this level comes down to job creation rather than incentives to work. It's not like there are a load of employers that can't find work for minimum wage jobs.

One thing I often hear from the "private sector is superior" types is that although they want the entire public sector to be cut, so that public sector workers are forced to get a "proper job" in the "productive sector" like them, they will also tell you that THEY would never employ an ex public sector worker in a million years, because they don't have the right work ethic, they also wouldn't employ anybody that had been out of work for more than 6 months, or any graduate from an ex-poly, so you can see why a lot of people are considered well down the list in employment terms.

My daughters friend was unemployed 2 weeks ago. I spent 2 evenings and a few hours over the weekend scanning the PC for jobs in the area-He had no quals of note
2 days ago he started working at a warehouse full time-Not great but a start and as we know its easier to get work when you are working. It's also money in his pocket.

Damo- You lack determination and the willingness to work. Have you knocked on every business door in a 10 mile radius of your wa***ng chariot and asked if they have any vacancies. Get of your fat butt and get pro-active. There is somethng there if you look-It wont come to you.

These anecdotes of "I know someone that was unemployed and they found a job" don't prove anything - the facts are there are loads of people out of work who are trying hard to get jobs and can't get them.

Knocking on business doors isn't going to get Damo a job, they will tell him to f off, I wonder how many people on rlfans would offer Damo a job, or would their businesses offer him a job? The answer will be no there aren't any vacancies, or if there are, then he should apply like the other 100 odd people that have put in for them.

I offered Damo full time work - he declined end of.

My cousin managed to find work in Rhyl which is one of the worse areas in the UK to find work. They’ll always be success stories of people getting into employment when so many people are trying. You put one thousand unemployed people into a room and the probability is that some of them will get a job if you sent them all on a task looking for one. But in this current jobs market many of them would more than likely remain unemployed. It’s just simple maths.

Now they was a time when I did knock on every door in the area and passed my CV on. But after a while (probably in my second year of unemployment) I though f**k this because no ones giving me a break and I didn’t want to spend a lifetime applying for loads of jobs every week. So these days I apply for jobs when I feel like it whilst doing some voluntary work.

And sal you didn’t offer me a straight out job. It was a job opportunity like any other job opening out they.

And precisely what does that mean?

A job to apply for as opposed to an outright job offer that Sal is making it out to be.

So did you take the opportunity?

Whether or not Damo as an individual is in or out of work, either willingly or not, is pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. For every Damo there are hundreds of others who are desperately trying and desparately failing to find employment.

That's why even the Tories at least pretend to care:
"Any increase in unemployment is disappointing and obviously a tragedy for the person who becomes unemployed - that is why we are taking action to get people back to work"...David Cameron

You could take the argument further and present it to anyone that complains about "things getting a bit tough" and "the cost of living rising" - well get off your backsides and get a better paying job then, it's not rocket science.

If you think life is expensive now, ask yourself....how many better paying jobs have you applied for in the past month? Why haven't you applied for more? Why not contact all the employers in your field or work and ask have they got any vacancies for better paying jobs? Have you asked your current employer for more hours?

If you can't get off your lazy backsides to get a better job then you can't complain about the cost of living. There are opportunities out there it's your own fault if you're too feckless to go for them.