Office for National Statistics: 2.57 million people are now unemployed

Office for National Statistics: 2.57 million people are now unemployed

Office for National Statistics: 2.57 million people are now unemployed

Office for National Statistics release figures showing a 17-year high in numbers of unemployed:

"The number of people in employment aged 16 and over fell by 178,000 on the quarter and by 47,000 on the year to reach 29.10 million.

"This is the largest quarterly fall in the number of people in employment since the three months to July 2009.

"The number of people working part-time fell by 175,000 over the quarter to reach 7.78 million.

"This is the largest quarterly fall in the number of part-time workers since comparable records began in 1992."