THE jobless total for 25-49 year olds in West Lancashire has risen again, new figures reveal.
More than 54% of those on Jobseeker’s Allowance are in this age bracket, a figure that has been creeping up (save for a couple of fluctuations) for almost a year.
In Tanhouse, a staggering 65.7% of 25-49 year olds of who are able to work are on JSA.
Government statistics show that the total of JSA claimants here stands at 4.6%, the smallest drop possible on the previous month (which was 4.7%) but still higher that February 2009 when it was 4.4%.
In terms of the overall JSA count, Digmoor is still bearing the brunt of the recession with an eyewatering 12.4% of people out of work – around three times greater than the national average.
These figures are pretty startling and show that whatever bounce there was in the boom years has hardly been sustained, and we’ve reverted back to the same old story of high unemployment in Skelmersdale. 18-24 year olds in West Lancs still account for almost a third of all JSA claimants – a figure which has barely shifted in the past 14 years.
You may remember a few months back, I posted on here a copy of my letter to Gordon Brown about the future of Skelmersdale Vision. In the letter, I made a broad point about the need for new jobs in Skelmersdale.
This is now a very important time for the area, and we need to foster a new economy fit for the 21st Century. In West Lancs, we tend to have an over reliance on some sectors, and the problem with that is that it’s akin to sticking all your eggs in one basket.
Recent studies have shown the need for West Lancs to diversify, pointing to the fact that we are uniquely constrained by the massive amount of Green Belt we have.
I’m not suggesting burying all our green pastures under a million tonnes of Tarmac, but these employment figures show that if we don’t be brave and do something soon, we are going to be stuck in this sorry cycles of unemployment and the deprivation which comes with it.
UPDATE: As if by magic, this article appeared in the local press today and echoes my own sentiments. Maybe it’s sign…
