Official figures released today show that the UK's jobless total has risen sharply to just under 2.5 million - the highest since February 2010 (1).
Commenting on the news, Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas said:
"The unemployment figures out today paint a grim picture of the UK jobs market - suggesting that nowhere near enough is being done to create job opportunities and get people into work.
"In particular, the shocking increase in the number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work of 15,000 to 949,000 suggests that we are now facing a major youth unemployment crisis.
"This is at a time when the options open to our young people are being dangerously diminished by Government decisions to increase tuition fees and scrap Education Maintenance Allowance.
"Combine rising unemployment with rising living costs and savage cuts to public spending and you have a recipe for disaster.
"As more families are pushed onto benefits - 38,000 in recent months, according to Unison - and more people are forced to apply for bankruptcy, we need to see radical action from the Government now."
ENDS
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