THE REAL PICTURE ON JOBS: BRITAIN IS INCREASINGLY DIVIDED AND INSECURE

Young people in Derby are paying the price for this Government’s economic failure as long term youth unemployment in our area continues to soar.

This week’s unemployment figures offer no let up for young people in Derby who are increasingly shut out of the job market because of this Government’s economic failure.

Long term youth unemployment here in is almost three time higher than it was last year, but ministers still refuse to take decisive action.

People in work are increasingly having to work part-time or are on temporary contracts. There are 1.4 million people who are working part time because they cannot find a full time job.

Labour will not wait for the next General Election to take action.

Our Youth Jobs Taskforce is pulling together the best ideas from across the country to take action now.

This week’s fall in unemployment is a welcome chink of light in a very bleak economic outlook.

But frankly, when the welfare bill is spiralling by over £24 billion over this parliament, ministers are wrong to be breaking out the bunting.

The economic outlook is still concerning with more people unemployed than at the time of the General Election.

We are seeing an increasingly divided Britain.

Unemployment is higher than it was at the time of the election in nine out of twelve regions in the UK. The unemployment rate in the North East of the country is 9.9 per cent, compared with 5.8 per cent in the South West.

Those out of jobs are increasingly shut out.

Long-term unemployment continues to rise. 897,000 people have been unemployed for more than 12 months. That’s a third of the total unemployed who are shut out from employment growth. Long-term youth unemployment has more than trebled in the last year.

Those in jobs are increasingly insecure.

Our appalling economic situation means that employers just aren’t in a position to offer secure jobs. Nearly 60 per cent of the jobs created since the election are part-time or temporary. 1.4 million people are now working part-time because there are no full-time jobs available.