Unemployment has reached 2.57 million, which is the highest it has been for 17 years, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The figures show that unemployment rose by 114,000 in the period between June and August this year with 991,000 people between the ages of 16 and 24 out of work.
Despite the figures the employment secretary, Chris Grayling, has said that in the past year more jobs have been created in the private sector than have been lost in the public one.
Even though the UK is not part of the euro, it is affected by the problems of those who are, such as Greece and Italy.
Unions say that the figures are a result of the austerity measures the government have put in place, which have compounded job losses and turned the situation into a crisis.
To be classed as unemployed a person without a job must have actively looked for work within the past four weeks.
Brendan Barber, the TUC’s general secretary, said: “This unemployment crisis is state-sponsored and areas like the North East are paying a heavy price, with over one in ten people out of work.”
