Jobless total on the rise once again

unemployment in Oldham has risen, in line with national figures.
But while national unemployment rose in February for the first time in a year, Oldham’s last rise in joblessness was only last September.

The total out of work has risen to 8,341 — up by 285, 216 of them men.

The figures, delivered yesterday, were a pre–Budget blow just hours before Chancellor George Osborne delivered his 2013 speech.

Nationally, the jobless total jumped by 7,000 to 2.52 million, ending a run of reductions, with the increase caused by more 18 to 24–year–olds becoming unemployed.

The total is still 152,000 lower than a year ago