Unemployment in Britain edges to yet another high

Britain's record number of unemployed, already higher than at any time since the Great Depression, has risen to 8.5 percent of the work force, according to government statistics. The total number of jobless swelled to 2,062,866 this month, compared with 2,039,476 (8.4 percent) in September. The figures coincided with publication of a joint statement by the opposition Labour Party and the Trades Union Congress calling on the Conservative government to take emergency measures to reduce unemployment.