Jobcentre
Jobcentre Reuters

The Trades Union Congress has expressed concerns that unemployment figures, due out tomorrow, could show what it called a "new crisis" in youth unemployment.

The number of 18 to 24 year olds unemployed for up to six months was found to have risen by 43,000 between April and June, while the number of people aged 25-49 unemployed for up to six months fell in the same period.

In June it was reported that there were 192,000 people aged 18 to 24 out of work for over a year, the highest figure since January 1995, the TUC says.

Currently 728,000 people aged 18-24 are unemployed at a time when the TUC says job vacancies are becoming more scarce. In June to August there were 467,000 job vacancies, down from 481,000 in May to July, meaning that there are now five unemployed people for every available job.

The TUC said that it was likely that younger workers were likely to lose out in the competition to get jobs, due to their relative lack of skills and experience.

Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC, said, "Tomorrow's figures will be a key indication of whether young people are facing a new jobs crisis.

"While recent months have seen some welcome falls in overall unemployment levels, thousands of young workers across the UK are joining the dole queues every month and that is a real cause for concern.

"At the moment, it appears there are simply not enough jobs for young people to do. It is therefore particularly alarming that the Government has cut funding for the Future Jobs Fund, which would have provided an additional 90,000 positions for unemployed young people across the country

"For every person struggling to get work, this recession remains a personal tragedy. And with the Government pressing ahead with deep spending cuts which will choke off growth, unemployment is set to rise again."

Unemployment