Strong employment figures but many people are being left behind

Commenting on the latest unemployment figures published today (Wednesday), TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“These are undoubtedly positive figures, but we should not forget how far we still have to go to restore pre-crash living standards through better pay and jobs.

“The real test for the government is whether everyone will share in the recovery, not just a favoured few.

“Nor should we forget today that as more people find work, nearly 400,000 people across Britain are set to spend their second successive Christmas on the dole and desperate for work.

“There are still hundreds of employment blackspots across Britain, with more than 15,000 long-term dole claimants in Birmingham alone. Ministers cannot ignore these areas just because the picture in other parts of the country is looking rosier.”

According to the latest labour market statistics, 136 local authority areas had more than 1,000 people who had been claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance for more than 12 months in November 2013.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The latest labour market figures are available at www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_338181.pdf

- The TUC’s campaign plan can be downloaded from www.tuc.org.uk/campaignplan

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

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

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