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Unemployment

The unemployment figures for the UK are out at 9.30am this morning and should show a significant rise.

In Wales, last month saw an increase of 10,000 in those claiming benefit and, given the way businesses are losing jobs all over the country, unemployment may well hit 100,000 by the end of 2008.

However, it is easy to forget that this is only the tip of the iceberg and, as the academic Stephen Fothergill at Sheffield Hallam University has pointed out, there is also the issue of hidden unemployment which is dragging the Welsh economy down.

As the head of the TUC said, "we should never treat these as just statistics...Each will be a very human story".

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