More bad news for Balls and Miliband as unemployment continues to fall

[vinyl 10]

Figures out today show unemployment is down yet again and the number working continues at record levels. This is in sharp contrast to much of the rest of the EU and the Eurozone where aunemployment is 50% higher than here, and a further blow to Balls & Miliband who are now struggling to promote their plan B.

Edited September 11, 2013 by vinyl

[Resident 1,185]

Is it falling though or are they massaging the figures by shifting thousands into work programmes which take them off the "official" unemployed figures.

 

Could it also be those students that claim JSA between leaving school and going onto university?

 

Could it also be those thousands of disabled people who got booted onto JSA because of ATOS and now they're being put back on to ESA because the tribunal system is overturning ATOS/DWP rulings.

[vinyl 10]

Is it falling though or are they massaging the figures by shifting thousands into work programmes which take them off the "official" unemployed figures.

 

Could it also be those students that claim JSA between leaving school and going onto university?

 

Could it also be those thousands of disabled people who got booted onto JSA because of ATOS and now they're being put back on to ESA because the tribunal system is overturning ATOS/DWP rulings.

 

As the number of people working in the private sector has risen by 112,000 in the last 3 months it is not a case of altering how unemployment is recorded.

 

"The number of people in work increased by 69,000 in the quarter to June to 29.78 million, the highest since records began in 1971."

Edited September 11, 2013 by vinyl

[Mr Bloom 10]

Three words: Zero Hour Contracts

[L00b 441]

<...>Could it also be those students that claim JSA between leaving school and going onto university?

 

Could it also be those thousands of disabled people who got booted onto JSA because of ATOS <...>

Wouldn't these increase the unemployed numbers?

 

Which would expectedly be balanced/mitigated by:

Is it falling though or are they massaging the figures by shifting thousands into work programmes which take them off the "official" unemployed figures.

 

Could it also be those thousands of disabled people <...> put back on to ESA because the tribunal system is overturning ATOS/DWP rulings.

whereby a demonstrable fall in unemployed numbers still translates as a 'good thing'?

 

Non-partisan post/genuine question.

 

EDIT

Three words: Zero Hour Contracts

Nothing new about these. They have increased since 2008, for sure.

 

A fuller 'picture' of where these new jobs are/come from would help.

 

FWIW, we've employed 4 this year (2 trainee professionals, 1 professional, 1 secretary) so far, and currently recruiting for a 4th (secretary). All F/T non-shared jobs. Admittedly, none were unemployed beforehand though.

Edited September 11, 2013 by L00b

[1heckofaguy 10]

Three words: Zero Hour Contracts

 

Some people say that these zero hours contracts suits them, but how can that be? surely they can only "suit" someone if he/she has control over when they work and for how long, which is quite unlikely.

[L00b 441]

Some people say that these zero hours contracts suits them, but how can that be? surely they can only "suit" someone if he/she has control over when they work and for how long, which is quite unlikely.

Depends on circumstances. Housewives looking for an easy(-ish) way back into the professional world after a long period of (non-professional) inactivity strike me as a perfect match for these.

[Resident 1,185]

Wouldn't these increase the unemployed numbers?

 

 

No because students have all gone back to university therefore will have closed their claims.

 

People on ESA aren't counted towards 'official' figures as they only look at the number of JSA claims (less those that are on work-programmes like A4E)

 

The whole not counting those on ESA and work programmes is just goal-post moving, altering the parameters of the data in order to make them look better.

 

If you did this in a financial sense then you'd be accused of 'cooking the books'

[L00b 441]

No because students have all gone back to university therefore will have closed their claims.

Gotcha now, thanks!

People on ESA aren't counted towards 'official' figures as they only look at the number of JSA claims (less those that are on work-programmes like A4E)

 

The whole not counting those on ESA and work programmes is just goal-post moving, altering the parameters of the data in order to make them look better.

Yup, am well familiar with these stat-massaging techniques.

 

Then again, Gvts here and pretty much everywhere else have been doing just that for so long...I saw it 1st hand back in 1996 in France when I was doing my national service, confidential memos flying around with real figs, public released figs and stats-for-dummies summaries explaining the difference (i.e. "how the interviewee should answer pesky journos' annoying questions" )

[Happ Hazzard 10]

Did zero hour contracts not exist under Labour?

[LeMaquis 10]

The BBC report on the figures says;

 

"Average pay rose by 1.1% including bonuses compared with the same time last year, or 1.0% excluding them, which is well below the 2.8% rate at which prices are rising.

 

So although employment is up people are still worse off as their pay fails to keep up with inflation. Also

 

"However, the number of people in part-time work rose to 1.45 million, the highest since records began in 1992 and double the number of five years ago.

 

Almost a third of men working part-time were doing so because they could not find full-time employment. The corresponding figure for women was 13.5%.

 

The OP may like to think that falling unemployment will automatically mean votes for the Tories but that might not necessarily be the case.

[gamezone07 23]

Figures out today show unemployment is down yet again and the number working continues at record levels. This is in sharp contrast to much of the rest of the EU and the Eurozone where aunemployment is 50% higher than here, and a further blow to Balls & Miliband who are now struggling to promote their plan B.

 

 

Figures are meaningless now, what about the millions on zero hours contracts yet are off the figures, same with those on workfare, etc.

 

btw, bizarre how many tories post on here given their 'massive' support in the city...