FOUR JOBSEEKERS FOR EVERY VACANCY IN STOCKPORT - STUNELL

9.30.00am GMT Wed 18th Feb 2009

There are almost four jobseekers for every vacancy in Stockport, research by Liberal Democrat MP Andrew Stunell has revealed.

There are a total of 5,564 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Stockport, fighting for only 1,509 vacancies. In Andrew's constituency of Hazel Grove the situation is actually worse, with five job seekers for every vacancy. In addition, unemployment across Stockport is now at a higher level than when Labour came to power in 1997.

This news comes on the back of a massive programme of Jobcentre closures from the government that saw 49 Jobcentres closed across the North West since 2004. The number of unprocessed applications for Jobseekers Allowance at the local benefit delivery office in Hyde soared to 475 in September 2008, an increase of 47% on the previous year, illustrating that the reduced number of Jobcentres are struggling to cope with the recession.

Commenting on the figures, Andrew said:

"These figures show how hard the recession is hitting Stockport - we're in the midst of an unemployment crisis.

"With the recession only likely to get worse, the sad truth is more people may end up losing their jobs, and those who are unemployed will struggle to get back into work with these levels of competition.

"Rather than provide help, ministers slashed the number of Jobcentres across the country making it harder for people to find jobs in the first place.

"There are plenty of measures that can be implemented now - scrapping the VAT cut for example, and reinvesting the money into green projects that will create thousands of jobs and set Britain on the road out of recession. It is vital that the Government focuses on getting people back to work as soon as possible".

ENDS