Unemployment reaches a new high

Unemployment figures in Jersey have reached a new record with 1700 people now registered as unemployed.

That's 160 higher than in December, 310 higher than a year earlier, and 500 higher than two years before.

A third of those registered unemployed at the end of January were under the age of 25.

The number of people to have registered as unemployed in the last four weeks was the highest recorded to date.

Long term unemployment too has doubled in the last year, with the number of people registered for more than 12 months accounting for almost one in five of the total- again a new peak.

Also, 280 teenagers aged 16-19 were registered as actively seeking work, that's 30 more than a month earlier but below the level of more than 300 individuals seen each month from July 2010 to March 2011.
(from CTV)