Unemployment figures - UNISON reaction

Wed 14 August 2013

“Today’s small drop in unemployment rates masks the damaging growth of under-employment plaguing the country and stifling economic recovery”, warned Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON today.

Mr Prentis went on to say: “A toxic combination of a part-time, minimum wage, zero-hours working is spreading across the country, as decently paid, full-time opportunities become increasingly rare.

“We know that just a few months ago there were, on average, almost four people chasing every vacant job in England, Scotland and Wales. And some areas were worse hit than others. For young people desperate to get their first job, these are desperate times.  Getting the work experience they need to get a start in life is hard to find.

“The Government needs to wake up to the damage that its cuts and austerity politics are causing – blighting the future of a whole generation and damaging the long-term social stability of the country.”

Ends

UNISON UK press release:
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/unemployment-figures-unison-reaction

Note for editors:
Claimant figure for unemployment over quarter from April to June 2014 in Scotland fell by just 1,000 to 198,000 - a rate of  7.2%