Here’s my latest Muswell Flyer article – also available here. Since I wrote this article, unemployment has dropped even further to 2.6% – halved since 2010!
Having a job is so important – it gives us a purpose and means we can provide for ourselves and our families. And for Government – helping people into work should always be a priority.
Before 2010, in the midst of the recession, unemployment rose and young people found it difficult to start their careers.
But things are looking up – unemployment in our constituency of Hornsey and Wood Green has now dropped to just 3%. That’s down from 5.2% in 2010.
Haringey’s young people are leading the way – youth unemployment here has halved since 2010. That’s a real testament to the ability and ambition of the bright young people in Haringey.
In August, I held my annual apprenticeship event at the Civic Centre. Just like last year, over 100 young people came through the doors, looking to kick start their career. I was so impressed with the way they approached the organisations at the event, securing interviews and places on courses.
These were organisations such as Barclays, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and the National Apprenticeship Service.
One person who came to the event secured an interview at a local restaurant, six people signed up for a stewarding course at Tottenham Hotspurs, and local organisation 5e enrolled 15 people on their ‘skills boost’ programme.
25 of the people who attended expressed an interest in a community cadet course with the London Fire Brigade, and 14 signed up to attend an open day at North London Garages.
Apprenticeships are a great way to learn a trade and gain contacts in an industry. Like jobs, they are becoming more and more popular, and more available to young people.
And the growth in the number of available jobs and apprenticeships hasn’t just happened by accident.
When the Lib Dems entered Government in 2010, getting people into work and increasing the number of apprenticeships was a priority. Since then, my Lib Dem colleagues in Government have worked with businesses to help create a million more jobs and over 1.8million apprenticeships.
The story is the same across the UK – not just in Haringey (though – we are lowering our unemployment at a faster rate than many other areas!)
Employment figures released in October show that 30.76 million people in the UK are now in work, the highest level on record.
The number of people unemployed has fallen below 2 million for the first time since 2008, while youth unemployment has seen the largest annual fall since records began.
It’s really no surprise, with nearly 1.3 million more people working full time since 2010!
There is still plenty more work to be done to build the economy and create opportunity for everyone. But over the coming months and years I hope to see the situation improving even more.
Lynne Featherstone MP yesterday visited Broadwater Farm community centre, to meet with local residents who are involved in successful projects across Haringey.
Lynne Featherstone 