The Conservatives say the figures show that youth unemployment is rising, while Labour says the statistics actually show the opposite (YPN, 26 January-1 February, p3).
The Government's own statistics on the percentage of young people claiming unemployment benefit over the past decade show very different trends among 16- and 17-year-olds compared with 18- to 24-year-olds. The new figures show that 22 per cent of 16- to 17-year-olds are unemployed compared with 18.5 per cent in the same period in 1995. But while this latest figure is the highest in the past decade, the rate has bounced up and down. Unemployment among 18- to 24-year-olds has steadily declined since 1995, although it has stabilised at 10 to 11 per cent since late 1999.
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