The latest figures show that employment has risen in the last quarter.
Praetorian Outsource Marketing takes a look at whether the improvement is
likely to be long-term.
Praetorian Outsource
Marketing, a direct marketing and sales company in Birmingham, has frequently
covered the ups and downs of the job market. Consequently they were initially
pleased to see that figures released by the Office of National Statistics showed that the number of people in work in the UK had risen by 201,000 in the
three months to June. A spokesperson for the direct marketing company said, “These
figures on the surface look very encouraging however when you also take into
consideration that in the same period our national output shrunk by 0.7% it
suggests a deeper problem.”
The unemployment rate
fell to 8.0% in the period, a 0.2% decrease from the previous quarter. The
number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance also fell by 5,900 to 1.59 million
in July. Analysts have suggested that the overall figures have been distorted
by the Olympics. Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said, “It looks
like about 90% of the fall in unemployment has been in London where there has
obviously been a boost from the Olympics. In about half of Britain’s regions
you’ve got unemployment going up.”
The Praetorian
Outsource Marketing spokesperson continued, “Whilst the Olympics has been
fantastic for morale and for some businesses, the reality is that they were
temporary jobs and we’re pretty certain that we’re going to see a rise in
unemployment next quarter as a result.” The Trade Union Council has
warned that the job outlook for young people is the worst it has looked since
1994. Their general secretary Brendan Barber said “Students looking to start
their careers or continue in their education next month are facing the toughest
climate for nearly 20 years.”
What does Praetorian Outsource Marketing think this means for graduates entering the job market? “We
believe that graduates face a very tough time ahead and are going to have to be
persistent and diligent to find careers that suit them. Experience counts for
everything and the more work experience they can get in their chosen field the
more chance they’re going to have of success.”
