Almost half of black young people are unemployed after a big rise in the group’s jobless rate since the recession began, a study showed today.

An analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research showed that unemployment among black people aged between 16-24 was well over twice the 20% rate of unemployment among white young people.

Mixed ethnic groups saw the biggest increases in unemployment, rising from 21% in March 2008 to 35% in November 2009, the research revealed.

Total youth unemployment currently is close to 943,000 – almost one in five 16-24-year-olds – a 15-year high.