Figures released today show that in April 2013, 84,000 people were claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) In Greater Manchester. This is a huge decrease of just over 1500 people when compared to the figures for March 2013.
4.8% of people in Greater Manchester were claiming JSA in April, which remains above the North West (4.2%) and Great Britain (3.7%).
So we can ask, is Manchester doing well in getting people back into work? Well this depends on your age. Youth unemployment (JSA claimants aged 16–24) in Greater Manchester declined on a monthly basis between March and April, falling by approximately 1,000 to around 22,300.
Year-on-year, the number of youth JSA claimants is now 14.9% (3,900 people) less than this time last year.
Which is great news! But….
There was an increase in long-term (6 months+) claimants in Greater Manchester in April 2013 to 38,500, a monthly rise of 1.6% (600 people). Commenting on the data, Baron Frankal, director of economic strategy at New Economy, said:
“All indicators, not least the latest youth employment warnings from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the stubborn persistence of long-term unemployment, point to extremely challenging circumstances over the next period.”
Which is why, here at The Apprentice Academy we are working very hard over the summer to enable businesses and organisations to achieve success with young people and apprenticeships. We want to get this number down and make a difference for Manchester.
Yet, Baron Frankel also reports:
“Whilst it is too soon to say any phrase with the word “green” or “shoots” in it, much of the recent underlying data is beginning to give some credence to the possibility that we may have turned a corner. Employment has held up remarkably well over the last five years, and so there is some expectation that it will pick up correspondingly slowly in any recovery. However, optimism and confidence do eventually translate into jobs.”
There are many benefits to taking on an apprentice that include:
– Freeing up and supporting your existing staff
– Increasing productivity
– A cost efficient way to grow your team
– Helps a young person to start their career
– Helps the business to develop the skills it needs for the future
– An excellent way to transfer skills from your most experienced staff to your new recruits, thus – retaining the skill sets within the business and passing them from one generation to the next.