Over the past two years, several commercial printing firms in Harbridge have introduced automated production and made 4,000 workers redundant. Many of the workers made redundant have specialist printing skills.
| Labour-market indicator | Two years ago | Current year |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 9.8% |
| Proportion of unemployed people out of work for more than 12 months | 12% | 34% |
| Unfilled vacancies in other industries | 900 | 2,600 |
| Annual government spending on out-of-work support for Harbridge residents | £14 million | £29 million |
Using the information provided, evaluate whether the consequences of unemployment for Harbridge's residents, local businesses and the government are likely to become more serious during the next year.
65 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Economics 3.2 Low unemployment, covering 3.2.1 Employment and unemployment, 3.2.2 Measuring unemployment, 3.2.3 Calculate the unemployment rate, 3.2.4 Analyse unemployment figures, 3.2.5 Types of unemployment, and 3.2.6 Causes and consequences of unemployment. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.