A hidden army of young women is bearing the brunt of job losses in Britain's sickly economy, with the unemployment rate almost doubling among 18- to 24-year-olds in several areas since the start of the recession, research reveals.
While young men have long been first in the firing line during downturns, TUC analysis shows that unemployment rates among young women have risen much faster over the past two years.
In the south-west, the unemployment rate among 18- to 24-year-old women has almost trebled, from 5% to 14%, since early 2008, while it has almost doubled in the north-west, Yorkshire, West Midlands, the south-east and Scotland.
Brendan Barber, the TUC's general secretary, warned that with women over-represented in many of the public sector jobs vulnerable to government spending cuts in the coming months, the plight of young women could get far worse. "High levels of joblessness among young men has long been a concern for the TUC. But now, as a result of the recession, young female unemployment rates are catching up with – and in some cases overtaking – young male unemployment," he said.
"With over a third of women working in the public sector... we could be in for a tough few years."
