News from John Biggs: 14 People looking for every job in Tower Hamlets

Local London Assembly member John Biggs says the government risks losing a generation of young people as Tower Hamlets is revealed in the top ten employment blackspots in the country.

There are now 14 people competing for every job centre vacancy in Tower Hamlets – one of the worst ratios in the country. The number of local job seekers has risen to 11,486 - a 13.2 per cent increase on last year.

Almost one in 10 Londoners are now out of work as unemployment in the capital hits 410,000. One in five 16-24 year olds now have no job.

The national jobless rate of 8.3 per cent is the worst since 1996.

Local London Assembly member John Biggs said: “There simply aren’t enough jobs to go round and unless the mayor and government do something about it, we’re at risk of losing an entire generation to the scourge of unemployment.

“How are people expected to get back to work in jobs that don’t exist? It is time for Boris Johnson and the government to change course and abandon their reckless economic plans. We need jobs and growth urgently.”

Top 10 employment blackspots, October 2011

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Notes

1. John Biggs is the London Assembly member for City and East, covering the boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking & Dagenham and the City of London.
2. Unemployment and JSA claimant figures can be found at www.ons.gov.uk and www.nomisweb.co.uk.