Employment: Young escape the jobless trap

Youth unemployment is falling faster than for adults in half of Britain's regions, a survey showed yesterday. Adult unemployment has been cut by 46 per cent in the four years to July of this year. But the figure for young people is up to 60 per cent.

The GMB union survey showed that the largest fall was in the South- East (60.4 per cent), followed by the South-West (56.3per cent), the West Midlands (51.6 per cent) and East Anglia (50.6per cent).

The fastest falls in youth unemployment have been in the South-East counties of Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire and Hertfordshire. John Edmonds, general secretary of the GMB, said: "Labour's New Deal ensuring welfare to work opportunities for the under-25s and the long-term unemployed is critical if we are to tackle those remaining areas of higher unemployment." Unions were ready to join the New Deal task-forces which will be set up throughout the country, Mr Edmonds added.