Job losses in UK at 16-year high, official data show

Unemployment in the UK rose to the highest rate in 16 years in the quarter ending November, with 1,300 people a day being thrown on the mercy of the exchequer's dole.

The just-released data from the UK office for national statistics showed the deep recessionary concerns amid the euro zone crisis. Prime Minister David Cameron's budget cuts have further dampened consumer confidence

The unemployment rate, calculated on the basis of the United Nations International Labour Organisation's methods, rose to 8.4 per cent, the highest since January 1996, from 8.1 per cent in the three months through August.

The number of people claiming jobless benefits rose for a 10th month to 1.6 million, the most since January 2010. More job cuts are likely in the coming years, the ILO report foresees.

''This is a huge priority for us,'' employment minister Chris Grayling told BBC television. ''Unemployment is much too high. There's no question about that. We are taking what measures we can in extraordinarily difficult times.''

While the UK economy grew at the fastest pace in a year in the third quarter, the Bank of England has said expansion will weaken in the following quarters.