Unemployment continues to rise

The number is up 177,000 since November and 486,000 since February last year.

That brings the unemployment rate – the percentage of the labour force without a job – to 6.7%, up 0.6% points over the previous three months.

As a result, 1.46 million claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance in March – up 73,700 over the previous month and up 672,100 over the year. The claimant count has not been higher since 1997.

Dan Plant, money analyst at MoneySavingExpert.com, says: “For anyone who has lost their job or is worried they might, this is a tough time. The key to financial survival is to do a budget, try to cut all your costs, and ramp up your income.”