Unemployment rises to 1.82m

The number of jobless has risen by 140,000 to 1.82 million in the three months between July and September - the highest level of unemployment in a decade - the Office for National Statistics revealed today.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in October rose 36,500 to 980,900.

The announcements come as well over 4,000 jobs were slashed in one day. On Tuesday Virgin Media announced 2,200 jobs will go, all of them in Britain. GlaxoSmithKline, Yell, Psion and Taylor Wimpey also said that they were cutting their workforces. Taylor Wimpey, the house builder, is to shed another 1,000 jobs, on top of the 900 it cut earlier this year.

Vodafone, which employs 10,000 workers in Britain, is also poised to make job cuts.

Further job losses in other sectors are also predicted, fuelling fears that the total number of jobless may be more than two million by early next year.

Average daily job losses in Britain are currently approaching 1,000. Last month's figures for the quarter to August showed the unemployment total rise by 164,000 - the biggest leap for 17 years.