Opposition parties round on Labour over unemployment
November 11, 2009 No Comments
Jenny Randerson
Commenting on today’s unemployment figures for Wales, Welsh Lib Dem Shadow Economy Minister, Jenny Randerson AM said:
“Another month, another set of figures show that Welsh families are more likely to be facing unemployment and hardship than most other places in the UK.
“We are continuing to see high unemployment, high economic inactivity, and high claimant counts.
“What is even more concerning for me is that all the data is beginning to show a trend of harsh and nasty unemployment among young people. We are at increasing risk of losing a generation to unemployment, poor health and resulting social problems.
“These are problems which will continue long after the recession comes to an end, and the Government’s cuts to the FE and HE budgets will make this situation worse.”
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan MP said: “Unemployment in Wales continues to be a blight on the economy and on the lives of workers and their families struggling to survive Labour’s recession.
“In the last year 600 jobs a week have been lost in Wales. And in the last quarter almost half of all UK jobs lost have been in Wales.
“It’s clear that Gordon Brown and Rhodri Morgan’s plans to help Wales through the recession simply have not worked.
“That’s why Labour needs to take up our plans to Get Britain Working as a matter of urgency, providing more support for young people and creating thousands more apprenticeships and training places to prevent a generation being written off because of Gordon Brown’s recession.”
Shadow Minister for the Economy David Melding AM added: “These figures demonstrate that the short-termism of the Assembly Government’s approach has failed to reverse this damaging rise in unemployment.
“We need answers as to why despite a small fall in unemployment over the summer, we are witnessing a surge in job losses in Wales far greater than other parts of the United Kingdom.”
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