Unemployment in the North West increased by 6.7 per cent in the three months to October, according to statistics released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The data revealed that a total of 301,000 people were unemployed in the region between August and October, 19,000 more than in the previous quarter. The region's unemployment rate was 8.7 per cent.

Darrell Matthews, regional director of IoD North West, said: "This is another grim month for jobs, with private sector companies still reluctant to hire. Young people are suffering the most, with more than one in five out of work.

"The ongoing failure to resolve the euro crisis is likely to mean that unemployment in the North West rises still further over the winter. Many of the region's businesses are still watching and waiting."

At a national level, unemployment reached a 17-year high after another 128,000 joined the jobless ranks, taking the total to 2.64 million.

Source: Insider Media Limited