Unemployment increases by 46,000 – so the Tories and the MSM are looking the other way
We were waiting for unemployment figures to start rising again after the collapse of Carillion and the closure of several major factories.
As predicted, today’s (February 21) figures show an increase of 46,000 – and to it’s credit, the BBC has reported the rise…
Unemployment edged higher, but still remains low at 4.4%.
The increase in unemployment for the three months to the end of December was the first rise in the jobless rate for two years. However, the total number of people in work also continued to rise, jumping by 88,000 in the same period.
Some of that increase was due to people previously classed as inactive and not looking for work moving into the workforce or registering as unemployed.
… at the bottom of a story singing the praises of a recorded increase in productivity:
The UK has seen the strongest two quarters of productivity growth since the recession of 2008, according to the latest data.
Output per hour rose 0.8% in the three months to December, the Office for National Statistics said. It follows growth of 0.9% in the previous period.
Pathetic, isn’t it? The BBC’s fawning attitude towards the Tories – and its willingness to be a right-wing propaganda network – is already being used by viewers as an argument against paying the licence fee.
The BBC might just as well have replaced any attempt at balanced reporting with this from the DWP:
See @AlokSharma_RDG reflect on today's employment figures #StrongerEconomy pic.twitter.com/DLrqu1V4Eh
— Department for Work and Pensions (@DWPgovuk) February 21, 2018
So, for proper balance, here‘s Peter Stefanovic:
“Theresa May & her ministers boast about record low unemployment when the reality is zero hours contracts & poverty wages have left 19 Million Workers on the verge of poverty & 17 Million with less then £100 in savings.Not a country that works for every one.”
Let’s have some more observations from Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Blogolution/status/966334421090668546
Er no unemployment is at its highest in 2 years. That's what today's figures show. Why lie
— Angel (@xxjxangel) February 21, 2018
True unemployment far worse than official figures: The forgotten unemployed: 300,000 jobless Britons not claiming benefits
Study finds many people are not claiming support they are entitled to and warns some are put off by the benefits system https://t.co/jAm59iECjB— citizen kane (@kane1944) February 21, 2018
Project Reality – you were warned may times: UK unemployment rises at fastest rate in almost five years. Official figures reveal 1.47 million out of work as young people struggle to find jobs https://t.co/vIP5NQHkOP
— citizen kane (@kane1944) February 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/afclhoratio/status/966330723018911745
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People who have been denied benefits that they should be getting have had to register as looking for work they can’t do, at a lower rate so unemployment figures go up without there actually being any difference in the employed figure which would be a better rationale to describe the economy.
Barry – Not all (s)tory fibs are true, anyways! But you’re right.
What they’re doing is paying new sick claimants (ESA) the same as those people unemployed who are temporarily switching jobs (JSA).
Disability is expensive, especially long term. I thought we all paid National *Insurance* (unless we’re early disabled) thinking we were covered if we got ill.
It’s abusing disabled people’s basic rights as all the foreign International reports are telling us. What a humiliating disgrace! We are not paying our disabled enough to live on, they’re dying, it’s evil, but we know where to serve the subpoenas come the revolution, don’t we?! Someone’s taking addresses aren’t they?