U.K.'s Unemployment At Highest Level For 17 Years

By Meera Selva

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's unemployment rate hit its highest level for 17 years Wednesday, with women and young people bearing the brunt of the deepening jobs crisis as the country's austerity measures and economic weakness began to bite.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that 2.64 million people were unemployed in Britain at the end of October - 128,000 more than in the previous quarter and the highest level since 1994.