National jobs guarantee can help “turn the tide” on youth employment prospects, TUC

• Challenges in jobs market have been “long in the making”, says TUC – as it calls for ambitious policy response
• The number of payrolled employees has fallen by 127,000 over the past year, but the pace of recent falls has slowed.
• The employment rate rose slightly to 75.2% from 75.1%. The unemployment rate has risen to 4.7% from 4.6%, but this is offset by welcome falls in the inactivity rate to 21.1% from 21.4%.
• Youth unemployment is falling and is now 11.6%, down compared to the same period last year (13.3%)
• Real wages grew by 1.2% but real and nominal pay growth are both slowing

Commenting on today’s (Tuesday) labour market data, which show some tentative improvements alongside ongoing challenges, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: 

“Fragilities in the jobs market have been long in the making and are another toxic Tory legacy.  

“But there are some positive signs. It is welcome that both economic inactivity and youth unemployment are down.

“And the government has started to lay the foundations to reset our economy with significant investment in public services, stronger workers’ rights and improving the support people need to get into work. 

“But the government must build on this with a national jobs guarantee for young people. There are still too many young people stuck out of work, education and training.

“We know that real experience of paid work is the best way to turn the tide on long-term worklessness – and that over time this investment will more than pay for itself. “

ENDS