NUMBER OF STOCKPORT JOB SEEKERS TO EACH VACANCY DOUBLES IN A MONTH

10.42.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 18th May 2009

There are now seven jobseekers in Stockport for each job advertised, almost double the number last month, research from Hazel Grove MP Andrew Stunell has revealed.

There are now 7,515 job seekers across the four Stockport constituencies, fighting for only 1,100 vacancies. Last month, there were 5,564 people claiming Job Seekers' Allowance, chasing 1,509 vacancies. Unemployment in Stockport now stands at a higher level than when Labour came to power in 1997.

My Stunell says job-seeking has been made more difficult with the closure of local Job Centres, with nearly 50 offices lost across the North West since 2004, including the Marple office in his Hazel Grove constituency.

Commenting, Andrew Stunell MP said:

"The recession is biting hard, and these figures show that finding a job is getting harder each month. Vacancies are down, and job seeker numbers are up.

"We're in an unemployment crisis, with more people losing their jobs, and facing increasing competition to get back into work.

"Ministers have at last agreed to freeze any more closures of Job Centres across the region, but with many of the surviving ones now struggling to cope they must bitterly regret the cuts they have made.

"The government needs to focus on getting people back to work as soon as possible - and they can start by scrapping the ineffective VAT cut, and use the money for green projects that will create thousands of jobs and set Britain on the road out of recession. Unfortunately the Budget did none of these things. "

ENDS