© Guardian/ONS
The Office for National Statistics said the unemployment rate rose to 5% in the three months to the end of November - representing more than 1.7 million people - from 4.9% in the three months to the end of October, reaching the highest level since August 2016. Unemployment was 4% in February before the pandemic struck.
In a snapshot of the jobs market during the second English lockdown and as tough restrictions were imposed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to limit the spread of Covid-19, the ONS said redundancies hit a record high during the quarter. Job losses were most heavily concentrated among younger workers, and in the retail and hospitality sectors.
Comment: All for no good reason. Lockdowns don't work, and Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales did not experience any excess mortality during the "second wave."
However, weekly figures indicated the number of people being made redundant had started to ease slightly from a peak in September, as the jobs market showed signs of stabilising after worse damage earlier in the pandemic.
Comment: Critical Race Theory is crazy. These people are crazy. And they are making more people crazy by the day. CRT is the most destructive thing to happen to American society in decades, and the sheeple are welcoming it with open arms. Biden, for example, is controlled by it. It's racism, plain and simple, or if you prefer, neoracism.