Job vacancies twice as sparse in Labour held constituencies

Austerity measures by the Government will see the number of people chasing every job vacancy rise.

On the day new unemployment figures were released, the TUC accused ministers of being too inward-looking in their own more affluent constituencies and ignoring places further afield where thousands are struggling to find work.

A report published by the TUC shows the number of dole claimants per job vacancy in Labour constituencies is twice as high as in Conservative areas.

The analysis found there were almost 10 claimants for every vacancy in Labour-held constituencies compared with 4.5 in seats with a Tory MP and 6.1 with a Liberal Democrat MP.

The average figure across the UK is 6.3 claimants for every job vacancy.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “Today’s unemployment figures are likely to send another strong warning sign about our mounting jobs crisis.

“The Government’s response so far has been to cut key employment schemes and claim there are plenty of jobs out there.

“If ministers look beyond their own constituencies, which have been less affected by rising unemployment than other parts of the country, they will see that millions of people cannot find work and even those that can are extremely worried about the future.

“In Labour-held areas, which tend to be less affluent and more metropolitan, there are 10 people chasing every job. Worse still, the Government’s austerity programme is about to make things much worse.”

The analysis found that of the 50 constituencies with the highest number of dole claimants per job vacancy, 43 were Labour, four Liberal Democrat and two Conservative, with one held by the Scottish National Party.

The TUC said the figures showed a “stark divide” in labour market conditions between the parliamentary seats of the three main parties which it maintained had widened since the start of the recession in 2008.

The Government insists more jobs are becoming available every day and it is committed to restoring the economy and supporting private sector jobs growth.

From the summer, the new Work Programme will give people the tailored support they need to move them into these jobs and stay there, ministers say.