New part-time jobs are not enough to replace full-time earnings, says TUC

date: 14 March 2012

embargo: For immediate release

Responding to the latest unemployment figures published today (Wednesday) by the Office for National Statistics, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'The rise in employment is encouraging, but the new jobs being created are mainly part-time. These jobs are not paying enough to replace the full-time earnings that people need.

'The sharp fall in pay increases is also worrying as it will prolong the painful squeeze on family incomes throughout the year.

'The jobs news gets worse for young people. We cannot afford to see fresh records broken in youth joblessness with such depressing frequency.

'Over a quarter of a million public sector jobs were lost in the last year and the private sector recovery we were promised is not materialising.

'Tackling the jobs crisis should be at the centre of the Chancellor's Budget next week. Bold new measures such as a youth jobs guarantee and tax breaks for investment are needed to get our economy growing again.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Top 10 employment blackspots, February 2012

Source: nomisweb

- The claimant to vacancy ratio for every local authority in Great Britain is available from the TUC press office.

- The labour market statistics are available at www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_257901.pdf

- Further analysis of the labour market figures is available at www.touchstoneblog.org.uk

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

Contacts:

Media enquiries:

Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
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Elly Gibson T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: egibson@tuc.org.uk