Further rise in North Ayrshire unemployment

North Ayrshire & Arran MP Katy Clark has expressed concern over the latest local unemployment figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

The stats show that, since the same period last year, the number of Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) claimants under the age of 25 has increased by 11.4 per cent, and by 12.3 per cent for those aged between 25 and 49, much higher than the Scottish average.  

The total number of JSA claimants in North Ayrshire stands at 6.4 per cent of the population, compared with 4.1 per cent for Scotland and 3.9 per cent across the UK.

Ms Clark said, “These figures continue to be deeply troubling news for North Ayrshire and are clear evidence that the UK Government’s economic strategy and austerity measures are having a significant and visibly negative impact on local people.  We cannot allow unemployment to continue to increase at this rate.”

The Labour MP continued, “We need to question the Government on what they propose to do to account for the loss of programmes, such as the Future Jobs Fund, that allowed young people to gain experience and skills, leaving them better placed to find employment opportunities.”

Katy Clark also highlighted Enterprise Zones, currently being introduced in England, as something that Scotland might also look at to encourage business growth in areas like North Ayrshire.  Said the local MP, “The Scottish Government needs to work with Westminster on this issue.  Jobs and growth in Scotland need to become a bigger priority on the agendas of both governments.”