Jobless total at nine-month high

Oldham’s unemployment figures jumped by 525 in January — ending a run of falls dating back to August.

The number of people out of work in the borough is 6,798, the highest since April, 2010.

January figures traditionally rise in Oldham when people on short-term and temporary contracts in the logistics and catering industries — taken on to deal with Christmas spikes in employment need — come back to the labour market.

The total is made up of 4,925 men, a rise of 341, and 1,873 women, up 184. This represents 4.9 per cent of the working population compared with the Greater Manchester average of 4.1 and the national average of 3.7. Of the 10 Greater Manchester authorities, only Manchester (5.1) and Rochdale (5.4) have higher percentages.

Nationally, unemployment jumped by 44,000 in the final three months of 2010 to just under 2.5 million, a jobless rate of 7.9 per cent.

The youth unemployment rate is 20.5 per cent following a 66,000 increase to 965,000, the highest figures since records began in 1992.