Unemployment hits 14-year high: Help ease the gloom

However, those affected can take steps to relieve some of the financial woe to gain some breathing space.

The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance rose by 24,400 to 1.61 million in August – the highest since May 1997 and the 18th monthly rise in a row, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The recession's impact on young people was also underlined by jobless totals among 16-24-year-olds reaching 947,000 – the highest level since ONS records began in 1992.

The jobless rate among this age group is also a record 19.7%, meaning one in five is looking for work.

Overall, jobless totals are at their highest since May 1995.

How to limit the financial damage

If you're out of work or are concerned you may soon lose your job, there are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself.

The Redundancy Help guide has a full break-down but here are some tips for starters:

• Pay off debts. If you've any spare savings, use them to clear outstanding credit cards or loans. Having debts hanging over you during redundancy is a nightmare. The cost of most debts vastly exceeds the interest earned on savings...

• ...but keep access to emergency funds. If you pay off debts, and it takes longer than planned to find a new job, you may need some money. More info in the Should I Repay My Debts? guide.

• Do a debt audit. If your debts are costing a fortune, consider switching to cheaper forms of credit. You may struggle to get credit if already out of work as this will harm your credit score. See the Best Balance Transfers, Best Bank Account, Cheap Loans and Mortgage Finding guides.

• Check out mortgage rescue schemes. If you have a mortgage, work out what level of protection you have if you were to lose your job. Both private, work based and government schemes may help. See the Mortgage Arrears guide.

• Up your income. There are a host of ways to generate short-term cash, from mystery shopping to flogging your CD collection. See the Boost Your Income guide for ideas. Also reclaim unfair bank charges (there is no hold on reclaiming if you're in financial trouble) or missold PPI. Free template letters are available in the PPI reclaiming and Bank Charges Hardship guides.

• Do a budget & money makeover. Run through your finances to see what bills you can cut (see the Money Makeover guide) and do a full budget to ensure you're living within your means (see the Free Budget Planner). The Stop Spending guide will also show you ways to cut back.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

Further Reading/Key links

Ease the unemployment pain: Redundancy Help