Government slammed by Teresa as unemployment hits new high

Teresa has slammed the Government’s record on unemployment as new figures released this week showed the number of those out of work and claiming Job Seekers Allowance has reached the highest level in 17 years.

The figures show a sharp increase in unemployment over the last year in Erith and Thamesmead, with the number of those claiming Job Seekers Allowance rising by over 15%. There are now 20 people in Erith and Thamesmead chasing each Jobcentre Plus job advertised.

Youth unemployment in Erith and Thamesmead has also risen sharply by 28% in the last year. Whilst the number of people over 50 claiming Job Seekers Allowance has risen by nearly 8% over the same period. 

Commenting on this week’s unemployment statistics, Teresa Pearce said:

“These figures confirm that unemployment has now soared to highest level for a generation. I am particularly concerned about the rise in youth unemployment in Erith and Thamesmead. I don’t want to see a generation sidelined because there are no jobs and young people can’t afford to stay on at college because the Government has cut schemes like EMA.

 

“Our welfare bill is now going through the roof because the Government is focused solely on cutting budgets rather than investing to create jobs. The result is that the Government is now set to borrow £158 billion more than they planned. This isn’t borrowing to support the economy and create jobs for people in tough times; it’s a huge new bill for failure.”

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