Britain: Unemployment Hits 25 Year Low

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Nando Times

Unemployment in Britain hits 25-year low

The Associated Press

LONDON (March 14, 2001 8:24 a.m. EST) - Government figures released Wednesday show the number of people receiving unemployment benefits in Britain has fallen below one million for the first time in more than a quarter of a century.

In February, 996,200 people claimed unemployment benefits - 10,600 fewer than the month before and the lowest figure since December 1975.

However, the International Labor Organization unemployment figure, which includes people not eligible for benefit, fell 81,000 to 1,535,000 for the three months ended in January. The total represents 5.2 percent of the work force.

There are 28.09 million working people in Britain, a record.

Prime Minister Tony Blair called the figures a vindication of the government's New Deal "welfare-to-work" programs.

"We are proud of what we have achieved - building a strong and stable economy and virtually eliminating long-term youth unemployment," he said.

The next phase of the plan, unveiled Wednesday, will target unemployed people over 25, lone parents and people with disabilities.

As part of the scheme, the government said it would cut off benefits to those who refused to take up a training opportunity or job placement.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), March 14, 2001


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