Commenting on the latest unemployment figures, Chris Ball, Chief Executive of TAEN - The Age and Employment Network says: “Despite the news that unemployment figures have not reached the 2.5 million mark and are, in fact, falling, it is deeply concerning that the number of employed people between the ages of 50 and 65 is still falling.

“Today’s figures show that 27,000 fewer men and 3,000 fewer women in this age group were working in the three months up to November. We know from previous recessions that unemployment typically continues to rise long after economic growth has resumed, so these figures confirm this pattern.

 “This gender gap demonstrates that older men are suffering disproportionately during the recession, a trend that urgently needs addressing and a forbidding echo of earlier recessions when older men bore the brunt of the damage.

“The number of men 50 to state pension age claiming JobSeeker’s Allowance for over 12 months has almost doubled in the past year, while the number of men in that age group unemployed for six to 12 months has nearly trebled.

“Also worrying is the sharp rise in economic inactivity among people between 50 and state pension age, now standing at 2.33 million people. This is up 41,000 on September to November 2009, with 38,000 of that rise being amongst men.

“We urgently need to see the Government’s support measures for older workers bought forward to reverse these worrying developments.”