WIREDGOV

Responding to the announcements (made on Wednesday 27 June) that the government plans to offer a wage subsidy to employers to take on young people who have been unemployed for six months rather than nine in unemployment ‘hotspots’ Ed Cox, Director of IPPR North said:

“We welcome the announcements made today by the Deputy Prime Minister that the Youth Contract will be refocused to target youth unemployment ‘hotspots’, many of which are in the North of England.

“This is a problem IPPR North has highlighted consistently in recent months. It is good news that the government is taking seriously the fact that unemployment is not evenly spread across the country. Young people in places like Hartlepool and Sunderland need greater help to get into work than their peers in other parts of the country. They have a valuable contribution to make in rebalancing the economy and we are glad the government recognises that.

“The next step for the government should be to introduce a jobs guarantee for everyone who has been unemployed for over a year.”

Notes to Editors:

IPPR North called for a targeted jobs guarantee in its Northern Economic Summary: http://www.ippr.org/articles/56/9239/northern-economic-summary-june-2012?siteid=ipprnorth

The full list of youth unemployment hotspots is as follows:
•    Blaenau Gwent
•    Hartlepool
•    South Tyneside
•    Merthyr Tydfil
•    Clackmannanshire
•    Redcar and Cleveland
•    Kingston upon Hull, City of
•    Middlesbrough
•    Wolverhampton
•    Sunderland
•    Sandwell
•    Walsall
•    Rotherham
•    North Ayrshire
•    Dudley
•    Birmingham
•    Caerphilly
•    West Dunbartonshire
•    Barnsley
•    Northumberland

Contact:Tamsin Crimmens 07800 742 262