Unemployment figures through the year
As the Office for Nation Statistics gets ready to release the latest unemployment figures, take a look at previous figures throughout this year:
- In March figures showed that the number of people unemployed hit a 17-year high, rising by 28,000 to 2.67 million between November and January
- In April figures revealed that unemployment fell by 35,000 between December and February to 2.65 million
- In May official figures showed a drop in unemployment between January and March to 2.63 million
- In June figures showed that unemployment fell by 51,000 between February and April to 2.61 million
- In August figures revealed that in June jobless figures had reached the lowest levels for a year
- Another fall was revealed in September when unemployment figures showed that the figures between May and June had fallen to 2.59 million
- In October official figures showed that unemployment fell by 50,000 between June and August to 2.53 million
Scotland's jobless figure goes up despite UK fall
The UK figures for unemployment disguise a worrying picture in Scotland.
The jobs market: Britain's bumpy rollercoaster
Despite early signs of an improving economy many families may still face the worst blow that a struggling economy delivers to a household.