Midlands TUC West Midlands Unemployment reaction

date: 18 January 2012

embargo: Immediate release

Commenting on the latest west midlands unemployment figures published today, (Wednesday), Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Rob Johnston said,

'The news that another 9,000 people joined the dole queues in the west midlands over the last three months is truly depressing, and worse than we expected, with nearly one in ten workers unemployed.'

'Unfortunately, unemployment in our region is fast becoming a fact of life. We have called on the government previously to take action on growth and jobs and these figures yet again show the need for bold solutions to put people back to work.'

'The news for those in work isn't great either, with pay growth falling and more people having to move to into part-time and insecure self-employment.'

'We are in the midst of a full blown jobs crisis that is causing misery for nearly a quarter of a million people and their families in the west midlands and ruining any chance of an economic recovery. Ministers must start putting forward bold solutions to address this crisis, starting with a job guarantee for any young person out of work for six months.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- Unemployment in the West Midlands increased by 9,000 in the three months to November, official figures have revealed.

- The Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that a total of 243,000 people were unemployed in the region between September and November.

- The region's unemployment rate was 9.2% and saw a rise of 3.8% during the period.

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Contacts:

Media enquiries:

Rob Johnston, T: 0121 262 6383; M: 07879 497 291;

E: rjohnston@tuc.org.uk

Alan Weaver, T: 0121 262 6383; M: 07771 778 694;

E: aweaver@tuc.org.uk