London hit hardest as unemployment reaches post pandemic high of 5%

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The rate of unemployment has hit 5% for the first time since the pandemic, official figures show today.

The jobless tally rose from 4.7% to 5% in the July to September quarter with almost 1.8million people classifying themselves as unemployed, according to latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

It was last at 5% in the December 2020 to February 2021 quarter when the economy was still reeling from the impact of Covid lockdowns.

If the pandemic is excluded unemployment has not been at 5% for almost a decade

The unemployment rate fell after Covid