Out-of-work journalists up almost 150% in a year

The number of journalists claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance has more than doubled since last year, new figures have revealed.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows 770 journalists claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance in April 2008.

By April 2009 the figure had risen by 144 per cent to 1,880.

Figures released yesterday show total unemployment soared by almost a quarter of a million in the first three months of the year, the biggest rise since 1981, leaving the jobless total at more than 2.2 million.

Architects are among the worst hit with a 10-fold increase in the number of Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants since 2008.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance increased by 57,100 last month to 1,513,000, while the number of people in work fell by 157,000 between January and March.

Job vacancies fell by 51,000 to 455,000, and the UK’s unemployment rate is now 7.1 per cent, up by 0.8 per cent on the previous quarter.