Number of long term unemployed in Shropshire increases
The latest jobs figures show long term unemployment in Shropshire is up 19% on the year, and long-term youth unemployment is up 44%.
UK unemployment jumped by 70,000 in the three months to the end of February and pay rises registered the lowest increase since 2001, adding to the mounting pressure on George Osborne to adopt a more aggressive growth strategy.
The number of people unemployed reached 2.56 million, with 20,000 under 25-year-olds adding their name to the register, pushing the unemployment rate up from 7.8% to 7.9%.
The figures come after the International Monetary Fund urged the chancellor to ease his austerity plans and adopt more aggressive measures to spur growth.
Liam Byrne MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, responding to the statistics, said:
“Three years on its now as clear the Government's plan is failing, and failing badly. Not only are more people unemployed than at the election, it’s soaring up. Seventy thousand more people are now on the dole than last month, youth unemployment rose by 20,000 and long term unemployment rose yet again.
“Yet just to add insult to injury this Government is slashing tax credits and child benefit but giving millionaires a tax cut. Families are £891 worse off because of tax and benefit changes and pay packets are now a whopping £1,700 smaller than at the last election. People have to work almost an extra month and a half to make what they did in 2010. Working people feel they're going backwards because they are going backwards.
“With the IMF warning George Osborne to change course and unemployment getting worse, it’s clear the time has come for a fresh approach. Ministers must now take the decisive action we need to get Britain working again starting with Labour's compulsory jobs guarantee to get anyone out of work for more than two years back into a job; a job people must take or lose their benefits.”
