As the rate of joblessness rises, young males and black men are likely to be the hardest hit, new research has found, with one in five from each group already unemployed.
The research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reveals that the rate of male UK unemployment is set to increase to ten per cent – from its current standing of nine per cent – by the beginning of next year.
And while there are currently more women without jobs, the rate of male unemployment has increased more sharply during the recession, the study adds.
Indeed, the number of black men out of work is already double that of white males.
Dr John Philpott, the CIPD’s chief economist, says: "A focus on the relatively hard impact of the recession on men should not detract from the absolute deterioration in the labour market situation facing both sexes."
Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress has revealed that 39 per cent of Britons aged between 16 and 24 have been searching for jobs for six months or longer.
