Jobless total rises to 8,234

THE number of people out of work in Oldham has risen for the fourth successive month.

But for the seasonal uptake in temporary and contract staff around the festive period, the boroughwide figures would be even worse.

There are 8,234 jobless people — a rise of 119 on the previous month and up 1,251 on this time last year.

There are 2,569 women seeking work, up 18, and 5,647 men, a rise of 101 on the previous month.

Nationally, the unemployment rate increased to a near 17–year high after another rise in the total to almost 2.7 million.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance increased for the 12th month in a row, up by 7,200 in February to 1.6 million, the worst figure since the end of 2009.

The number of people in work increased by 9,000 in the quarter to January to 29.1 million, while the 28,000 increase in unemployment was the lowest for almost a year. The unemployment rate is now 8.4 per cent, up by 0.1 per cent from the previous quarter, the highest since the end of 1995.

Youth unemployment increased by 16,000 to reach 1.04 million, a jobless rate of 22.5 per cent, while the number of unemployed women jumped by 22,000 to 1.13 million.

Other figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that public-sector employment fell by 37,000 in the final quarter of 2011 to just under six million, while the numbers employed in private firms increased by 45,000 to 23 million.

Public-sector employment has fallen by 270,000 in the past years.

The number of people working part–time because they could not find a full–time job increased by 110,000 to 1.3 million, the highest since records began in 1992.