Minister for Employment, said:
“It’s encouraging to see inactivity falling, vacancies dropping,
and employment on the up. To get prices down and help make
mortgages manageable, we must halve inflation and grow our
economy. To do that we are helping those who can, into work, and
we recently increased the amount someone on Universal Credit can
claim back for childcare to make working that bit easier.
“Our new Midlife MOT website is also helping everyone to
future-proof their futures, whether that’s looking at options for
work, reviewing their skills or understanding their
pensions.”
, Labour’s Shadow Work
and Pensions Secretary, commenting on the latest ONS
labour market statistics, said:
“These figures are another dismal reflection of the Tories’
mismanagement of the economy over the last thirteen years.
“Britain is the only G7 country with a lower employment rate than
before the pandemic and real wages have fallen yet again – just
as more and more families feel the devastating impact of the Tory
mortgage bombshell.
“Labour’s mission is to secure the highest sustained growth in
the G7. We will create good jobs across every part of the country
and our welfare reform and job support plan will get Britain
working again.”
Commenting on today’s (Tuesday) labour
market figures, which show real wages falling by 1.7% on the
year, with public sector pay falling even faster at 3.1%, TUC
General Secretary Paul
Nowak said:
“The government must stop scapegoating
workers for its failures. Wages are not driving inflation – they
are not even keeping up with it.
“In the public sector and lower-paid
private sector industries, pay is even further
behind.
“The Bank of England’s own data shows
that nominal pay gains are being driven by the very highest
earners.
“Working families have suffered 15
years of falling living standards. Ministers shouldn’t be forcing
households to become even poorer.
“We need a credible economic plan for
boosting growth, jobs and pay.
“Setting the UK on course for another
damaging recession would be
reckless.”
TUC analysis published on Monday revealed that UK workers will miss out
on £3,600 this year in pay as result of their wages not keeping
pace with the OECD average.
Economic
inactivity
Commenting on ongoing high levels of
economic inactivity amongst workers who are unable to work
because of long-term sickness,
Paul
added:
“Too many workers are still being
forced out of the labour market because of
ill-health.
“Instead of lecturing people to ‘get
off the golf course’, ministers should be investing in our public
sector workforce so that health and care services can
improve.”
