Government makes £100m available to retrain workers who lose their jobs

The number of people out of work has soared to 1.79 million, the Office for National Statistics has revealed.

The number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance also rose by 31,800 to 939,900 in September.

Between May and July, the number of people out of work rose by 81,000 to 1.72 million. The number claiming jobseekers' allowance increased in August to 904,900.

In anticipation of the rise, the government made an extra £100m available to retrain workers who lose their jobs in the economic slump.

The government said the extra cash would be targeted specifically at sectors experiencing “significant job losses” - construction is expected to be one of these.

One forecast predicted that unemployment could reach 3 million by next Christmas.

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