Categories: News
      Date: Sep 18, 2009
     Title: Six people chasing every job vacancy in Telford

The number of people out of work in the UK has risen to its highest level for 14 years, according to official figures.

The number of people out of work in the UK has risen to its highest level for 14 years, according to official figures. Unemployment has increased by 210,000 to 2.47 million in the three months to July, taking the jobless rate to 7.9%. As a result, claims for unemployment benefit in August grew by 24,000 from July to 1.61 million, the highest since May 1997.

The figures for Telford show that there are currently 3,073 unemployed people in the constituency and who are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance - up from 1,612 a year ago. To make matters worse, the number of job vacancies has fallen dramatically in recent months - as a result of which six people are now chasing every job vacancy in the constituency.

Tom Biggins stressed: “Unemployment is fast becoming the most pressing social, economic and political problem plaguing Britain. It is ruining the lives of millions and is a terrible burden for families to shoulder. Even people who manage to keep their jobs are having their hours reduced and their wages frozen or cut.”

Tom accused Labour of being ‘in denial’ about the true scale of the unemployment problem, and warned that ministers were ‘sleepwalking their way’ through the recession. “They should be doing so much more to help,” he insisted.

“We need an urgent programme to tackle rising unemployment - but as yet the Government has done virtually nothing to address the problem.

• A national Loan Guarantee Scheme with up to £50 billion of guarantees for new lending to businesses of all sizes.
• A £10 billion scheme to allow small and medium-sized enterprises with cash-flow difficulties to defer their VAT bills for up to six months.
• Cutting corporation tax, so reversing Labour’s tax hike.
• Cutting payroll taxes (National Insurance) by one pence for six months for the smaller employers to help them save money and so keep jobs.

• A £3 billion programme of incentives to employers who take on someone who has been unemployed for more than three months.
• A major expansion of training with financial help for smaller firms.
• Changing the rules for rapid retraining so that unemployed people can take up training
• opportunities whilst claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance.
• A removal of restrictions on activities while on benefits.