This month’s rise in UK unemployment figures was not unexpected. The first round of public sector redundancies began in August and the consultation period is just ending. We can expect the unemployment figures to rise further. What is less likely to happen however is that the private sector will step in and create jobs, despite government assertions that they will.
The Government’s strategy for the past few months has been that by cutting public sector spending the economy will recover, creating new opportunities in the private sector. But there has been no evidence to date that this will happen. Private sector employment is not rising at all, according to yesterday’s figures.
Economists and politicians will come up with many different solutions for tackling the unemployment crisis. But none are likely to alleviate the misery that workless families will be feeling. Even though the situation is not entirely hopeless, there are some vacancies out there and new jobs are awarded every day, there are just not enough.
The job seekers who are likely to succeed are those who persist in their job search, network well and do not lose heart. But the most important thing that can happen now is for the government to stop believing that the private sector will somehow ride to the rescue. Policy needs to be based on reality, not wishful thinking.
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