Unemployment hits highest level since 1996

This is the highest number of unemployed people since 1994, and the highest rate of unemployment since 1996. The number of jobless people rose by 129,000 over the quarter to 8.3% of the economically active population. Unemployment amongst people aged 16-24 reached 23.3%, or 9.36m, up 0.1% from the last quarter. Regular pay fell by 0.1% over the quarter, whilst total pay, which includes bonuses, fell by 0.4% compared to the three months to August 2011.