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Older workers affected by job cuts

Those aged 50 and over have been most affected by job cuts in the UK as unemployment rates increase.

Figures from the National Office of Statistics show that the number of people out of work in the country has increased to 1.72 million.

The employment rate is down to 74.7 per cent and there has been an increase in the total number of hours people work.

When looking at the statistics for people aged between 50 and 64, the number who were employed had fallen by 20,000 and 17,000 of these were men.

Age & Employment Network chief executive Chris Ball believes that employers are "pushing older employees out of the door" when it comes to deciding who will be made redundant, Personnel Today said.

Last month, a survey by KPMG and the Chartered Institute of Personal Development showed that only 29 per cent of employers asked said they would be hiring staff in the third quarter of the year.