The number of people on Job Seekers Allowance rose slightly from last month at 1,276 or 2.7% of the workforce, up from 2.6% of the workforce in March 2009. Although this is a 127% increase from April last year when the number of job seekers was 561, the sharp deterioration of the winter is not continuing. The national rise in unemployment this month has also been very sharp, but the job market in West Worcestershire seems a little bit better. The number of Job Seekers who have been out of work for more than 12 months is also stable at 45 individuals. The number of open positions is not yet available.
Harriett Baldwin said, "The local job market is much weaker than it was this time last year, but at least the sharp pace of deterioration that we saw last winter seems to have stopped. However, in the next few months we will have school leavers and university graduates joining the job market and we must ensure that they can keep developing their skills and gain experience. A Conservative government would act now to help the many thousands of young people who face a jobs crisis this summer. Instead of letting thousands of science, maths and engineering graduates leave university in June only to face life on the dole queue with their student debts, we would create 25,000 new places for masters degrees. To help youngsters working to get their apprenticeships, but who are now losing the prospect of any qualifications if they lose their job, we would allow them to finish their training at a college or with another employer."