Living without a job: Personal stories
UK unemployment has reached 2.62 million, says the Office for National Statistics.
Youth unemployment reached a record high of 1 million.
There are now more 16 to 24-year-olds now out of work than at any time since 1992.
Charlotte Foster from Norfolk is a recent graduate and is struggling to find work. She says many of her application letters go unanswered.
Click on the tabs above to hear more stories from people who are trying - and failing - to find work.
15 Nov 2011