Unemployment up as 25 people chase every local job
Local unemployment has risen amid a bleak outlook for job seekers, with more than 25 people chasing each vacancy and a large increase in young people without work according to new statistics.
According to analysis of last week’s unemployment statistics by the House of Commons Library, the number of Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) claimants per Jobcentre plus vacancy in the Streatham Parliamentary constituency, which includes parts of Brixton, Clapham and Tulse Hill, is 25.7. This is the 18th worst ratio of jobless to jobs of the 632 constituencies across England, Wales and Scotland.
Locally, the number of JSA claimants rose by 403 between August 2010 and August 2011, a 10.3% increase. Additionally, there are now 895 people living in the constituency who have been claiming JSA for more than a year.
Unemployment among those aged 24 and under and aged 50 and over locally has risen disproportionately over the last year, by 13.7% and 17.1% respectively, according to the analysis.
Nationally, the number of people aged 18 or over claiming Jobseekers Allowance increased by 20,300 between July and August 2011 to 1.58 million people. The wider ILO measure of unemployment, which takes into account those looking for work but not claiming JSA, was 2.51 million in May-July 2011, a rise of 80,000 from the last quarter, the largest increase since summer 2009.
Commenting, Mr Umunna said:
“These latest local unemployment figures make for particularly depressing reading. It is worrying that joblessness is rising so sharply and that so few jobs are being created. We should never underestimate the impact on the lives of those affected by unemployment and their families.
“The government’s austerity programme is hitting families hard, denting businesses’ confidence in the economy and hampering job creation. These figures underline the urgent need to get the economy growing again.”
