Wednesday 18th of March 2009
The number of unemployed people in the UK is continuing to rise, fresh figures have revealed.
According to data from the Office for National Statistics, more than two million people were without jobs in the three months up to January.
This represented an increase of 6.5 per cent on the previous quarter, with 421,000 more people now out of work than a year ago.
The findings could lead to an growth in applications for individual voluntary arrangements, as more people may struggle to repay debts due to the economic downturn.
Other results included the fact that 266,000 employees were made redundant over the three-month period, an increase of 86,000.
Reflecting on the study, site editor of moneysupermarket.com Clare Francis urged consumers to ensure their monthly repayments would be covered if they were to lose their job.
"Breaking through the two million barrier, today’s unemployment stats will no doubt heighten fears among the British working population," she said.
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