YOUNG men are worst hit by unemployment in Blackburn and Darwen, a report has revealed

A survey commissioned by the council revealed that unemployment is highest in the 20 to 24 age group.

And it is higher among men than women in every age group, from teenagers to retirement age.

Coun Peter Greenwood said: "We should be turning our attention towards finding out why it is this group suffers so much.

"This is a matter of grave concern as this group should be the most economically active in the borough.

"We need to do additional work with Jobcentres to make sure the skills that young people have match up with the jobs that there are."

Council officers will conduct further research to find out if there is a mis-match between jobs on offer and skills.

The survey found average hourly earnings in Blackburn and Darwen were below the average for the rest of the country.

But the people of the borough work a similar amount of hours per week, 37.8 as the national average.

The survey re-iterated Blackburn and Darwen's well known reliance on the manufacturing sector compared to the rest of Lancashire and the country as a whole.

More than a third of unemployed people in the borough are skilled in manufacturing industries, compared to 25 per cent in the rest of Lancashire and 18 per cent nationwide.

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