Wednesday briefing: Why young people are bearing the brunt of the unemployment crisis

Saltcoats is located in North Ayrshire, which has some of the UK's worst deprivation in coastal communities.
Photograph: Windmill Images/Alamy

Good morning. I’m Karen McVeigh and I’ll be bringing you First Edition alongside Martin Belam and Aamna Mohdin for the next few weeks. If there is anything you would like to see covered in the coming weeks, please hit reply with your suggestions.

The rate of UK unemployment has climbed to the highest level since the Covid pandemic. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday that unemployment rose to 5% in the three months to September, up from 4.8% in the previous quarter. Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said the figures point to a “weakening labour market”, just under two weeks before Rachel Reeves is expected to deliver her second budget.