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MP praises firms for jobs boost
Lisa Nandy MP
WIGAN was the only place in the North West to see a reduction in the number of people claiming Jobseekers allowance last month.
Figures released by New Economy Manchester show that there was 0.1 per cent drop in jobseekers in Wigan in April from March, the only decrease in the region.
However, while most areas of the borough saw a decrease in the number of people out of work, Whelley and Ashton Golborne saw a nine per cent rise from March. In total Wigan had 8.749 people claiming jobseekers allowance in April this year. There were 9,522 the same time last year.
The statistics also revealed that Leigh East had the highest total number of job seekers in the borough last month, with 530. Orrell had the lowest with 170.
However, the rest of the region has not seen a decrease, with Tameside having an increase of 4.9 per cent from last month. Across Great Britain there was a 0.4 per cent drop in jobseekers last month.
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy believes the stats are helped by Wigan’s sympathetic employers.
She said: “The fact that Wigan has fared better than the rest of the North West is thanks to the work of the Council and a number of employers who have done all they can to support employees through this difficult time. A number of companies, including the Council, have invested in apprenticeships and skills training which has helped keep people in paid work.
“There is no question though that many people in Wigan are experiencing serious hardship as a result of decisions being made in London, and I am doing all I can to get this Government to take job creation and economic growth seriously.”
John Holden, deputy director of research at New Economy, said: “There could be a number of reasons for the decrease - Wigan does have a large manufacturing base which has no doubt been taking advantage of the weak pound to boost exports, which will have a direct impact on the availability of jobs.”
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Friday 25 May 2012
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