MP Malcolm Wicks speaks out over youth unemployment in Croydon
WORRYING new figures show a hefty rise in long-term youth unemployment in Croydon.
Statistics released this week show that the number of 18 to 24-year-olds who have been claiming Jobseekers' Allowance for more than six months has risen from 350 in January to 560 in October.
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Malcolm Wicks
Croydon North MP Malcolm Wicks dubbed the revelation "terrible news".
He said: "This is terrible news for young people in Croydon. The real worry is that we are seeing the return of long-term youth unemployment to our area."
Mr Wicks added: "We need to get people back to work and off benefits or the scar of unemployment will do long-term damage.
"The Government's decision to cut too far and too fast is just not working.
"Sadly the Government doesn't understand that more people on the dole and claiming benefits rather than paying taxes will just make it more difficult to reduce the deficit."
3 Comments
by squired
Tuesday, November 29 2011, 6:47PM
“I do wonder how many of them are actually looking properly for a job. The reason I say that is that I have a family member, who is in his early 20s. He has no qualifications (well, a couple of GCSEs), has never had a full-time job, isn't particularly literate and certainly isn't the type of person I'd see as a dead cert for a job. Having suggested that he could move out of home and in with me, on the condition that he found a job, he has managed to get two job offers in central London inside a month. Both are paying around £20k. If he can do it anyone can.”
by nicecityboy
Tuesday, November 29 2011, 1:34PM
“I don't see any solution proposed here. Thanks Mr. MP for telling us what we already all know.
On a positive note at least he acknowledges this rather then going around taking free trips to America or taking bribes from tobacco companies.”
by LAFANTASTICA
Tuesday, November 29 2011, 1:19PM
“People on Twitter find this man highly amusing, especially since a comment of his appeared on this paper saying that he couldn't understand why people felt the need to say what they had had for breakfast. They are, of course, carrying on mentioning their breakfasts and one says that Malcolm Wicks is a bit of a spoil sport.”