UNEMPLOYMENT RISE GREATEST IN WALES - ÖPIK

4.12.00pm GMT Wed 12th Nov 2008

Commenting on today's unemployment figures, which reveal that the number of people out of work in Wales has risen by 24,000 over the last 3 months, more than any other part of the UK, Liberal Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire, Lembit Öpik said:

"These figures are extremely worrying and suggest that the recession is hitting Welsh businesses and workers harder than anywhere else in the UK.

"The number claiming Jobseekers Allowance in Wales has risen by more than 10,000 since this time last year and will undoubtedly top 50,000 by the end of the year.

"The Government is woefully unprepared to handle the increasing levels of unemployment that we are seeing across the country.

"During the boom, the Government cut back on the JobCentre Plus network, closing 47 JobCentres in Wales over the last five years. Now that the economy is bust, the system is struggling to cope.

"The Conservative plans announced yesterday are not the answer. It didn't work in the 1990s and it won't work now. Companies won't take on staff they don't need and subsidised jobs won't create stability and security.

"The Government must take urgent action to kick-start the economy. This means cutting taxes for those on low and middle incomes, to give people more money in their pockets and encourage consumer spending."

ENDS