Unemployment figures a disaster for West Midlands, says TUC

Commenting on the unemployment figures for the west midlands released today by the government that indicate a 7% rise in unemployment, Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Roger McKenzie said: “These figures are disastrous for those workers and their families who now face an uncertain future just before Christmas”.

Mr McKenzie continued, “With the claimant count rising to 124,000, a rise of some 8,200, we can see that many sectors of the economy are suffering from the recession. Construction, retail, finance and manufacturing are all feeling the strain as we head for the new year. There will be more redundancies in the new year as those workers at Woolworths join the dole queue. It is essential, however, that we do not talk the economy further down than it really is, and we must start the process of improving the skills and knowledge of those made unemployed so they can re-take their place in the workforce at the earliest opportunity.”