UK unemployment may not reach its worst, but economic rebound will stall

The unemployment figures numbers are not huge in a historical context and the UK economy is growing. Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters

The TUC boss, Paul Nowak, could be accused of exaggeration when he says “the Tories are presiding over a rapidly deteriorating jobs market”.

The UK has experienced many periods when unemployment has deteriorated more quickly and the number of people out of work reached greater peaks.