UK unemployment expected to peak at 2.7 million

Unemployment in the UK will peak at 2.7 million next year, lower than previously predicted, although the jobs outlook would get worse if economic growth is weaker than expected, a new report said today.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) predicted that the jobless total will be around 2.4 million in 2015, roughly the same as today and still 800,000 higher than the pre-recession level.