Joblessness soars across the union

“The wasteland,” gloomily headlines the Independent, following the release of figures which point to an unexpected rise in numbers claiming unemployment benefit in the UK. The claimant count increased by 2,300 in August, the first rise since December 2009. The jump is alarming for the City and policy makers, the London daily notes, “coming as it does in the wake of this week's IMF warning that all Europe risks becoming an employment "wasteland" in which joblessness threatens entire societies.” Looking further afield, the total for EU27 has already passed 23 million, a 36 per cent leap since 2007. “The challenge of reversing this trend could stretch Europe to its limits,” the London daily concludes.