Levels of unemployment among people in Newham show no signs of decreasing, according to the latest figures.

The number of people officially declared out of work in October has leapt by more than 15% when compared to the same point in 2010.

The 11,887 people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance put the borough second only to Lambeth, in London, in the numbers of people on benefits. Newham also has the highest percentage of its population on the dole compared to every single other London borough.

The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week, do not include those who are not on benefits.

In the last six months, a total of 2,385 young people - between the ages of 18 and 24 - signed on.

Overall, 14,900 people in Newham are currently unemployed, amounting to almost 15% of the population.

However, more worryingly, more than one third of people in the borough are classed as economically inactive.

Geraldine Blake, chief executive of Community Links, said younger people were badly affected by the rise in unemployment.

She said: “The rise in youth unemployment figures is very bad news - the young people of East London are being hit very hard.

“Our challenge - especially in Newham with such a young population - is to look beyond the economic pressures of today and find ways of investing in the support young people need to transform their lives for the future.”