Jobless claims post biggest rise since 1992
Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:43pm BST
By Sumeet Desai and Matt Falloon
LONDON (Reuters) - The number of people out of work and claiming benefits rose for a fifth month running in June and by its largest amount since the slump of the early 1990s, in a sign the economic slowdown is starting to bite.
Analysts say unemployment looks set to rise further as companies shed workers to try to cope with the downturn -- a further blow for the ailing Labour government which lags far behind in the opinion polls.
The Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday claimant count unemployment rose by 15,500 last month after an upwardly revised 14,300 increase in May.
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By Sumeet Desai and Matt Falloon
LONDON (Reuters) - The number of people out of work and claiming benefits rose for a fifth month running in June and by its largest amount since the slump of the early 1990s, in a sign the economic slowdown is starting to bite.
Analysts say unemployment looks set to rise further as companies shed workers to try to cope with the downturn -- a further blow for the ailing Labour government which lags far behind in the opinion polls.
The Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday claimant count unemployment rose by 15,500 last month after an upwardly revised 14,300 increase in May.
--MORE--