With youth unemployment in Edinburgh up 272% a local MP claims young people are still paying the price for this Government’s economic failure.
Commenting on today’s unemployment statistics, Edinburgh East MP and Work and Pensions Select Committee member Sheila Gilmore said:- “Young people in Edinburgh are still paying the price for this Government’s economic failure. Long term youth unemployment here in Edinburgh is up 272% in the last year, but ministers are still clinging to the failing policies that have driven our economy back into recession.
“Out of touch ministers need to wake up to the jobs crisis they’re responsible for and take urgent action now. They should start with Labour’s Real Jobs Guarantee and get our young people back to work.”
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Liam Byrne said:-“The headline fall in unemployment today is a welcome respite in a blizzard of bad economic news. But today’s figures show we’ve got to redouble our efforts to get Britain back to work.
90 per cent of the fall in unemployment was in London, long term youth unemployment is still going through the roof and part-time work has hit an all time high as people struggle to find a full time job.
“Crucially, there are now huge warning signs on the road ahead. Our economy is not even in the slow lane – it’s in reverse. Britain is only one of two G20 countries in recession, and the Governor of the Bank of England says there is little more low interest rates can do. That means the government has got to act now to put more fuel in the tank of its back to work plan starting with a tax on bankers bonuses that could create the funds to kickstart the construction sector and get over 100,000 young people back to work.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
