Youth unemployment still high
Written by author on January 21, 2015
Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray and Dumfries & Galloway MP Russell Brown have called for further action to youth unemployment in the region after new figures revealed that the number of young people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in Dumfries and Galloway remains above both the Scottish and British average according to the latest figures published today (Wednesday 21st January).
The figures from the Office of National Statistics show that whilst the Jobseekers Allowance claimant count for young people aged 18-24 fell from 430 (3.9%) in October to 395 (3.6%) in December, it is still higher than the Scottish figure of 3.5% and significantly higher than the British average of 3.0%.
With many new jobs in December only being seasonal, it is feared that that the unemployment figures may be misleading and will increase after January.
Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray said:
“A fall in unemployment is always welcome, however at this time of year figures can be misleading due to the seasonal intake of staff in many businesses.
“The Workfare programme which helps people into employment is being devolved from the UK Parliament to the Scottish Parliament, as proposed by the Smith Commission, which will hopefully help tackle unemployment in this region.
“However, the UK and Scottish Government should be stepping in and taking action to help create more permanent, full-time jobs that provide decent pay now.”
Dumfries & Galloway MP Russell Brown added:
“It is clear from recent figures that youth unemployment is still an issue in this region when you compare it to the Scottish and UK averages and shows a need for the Scottish and UK Government to deliver solutions to tackle the problem.
“Dumfries & Galloway Council have already put significant investment into providing job opportunities, including apprenticeships, which will have contributed to the fall in unemployment in the previous months. They have also outlined a ‘Youth Guarantee’ strategy which will hopefully mean an end to youth unemployment in the region entirely.”
