Saturday, July 11, 2009

The Under - employed

'More than one million jobless Britons have been living off state handouts for more than 12 years, it has emerged.
A hardcore army of unemployed have failed to find any sort of work since Labour came to power in 1997.
The true scale of the crisis has been laid bare by figures which break down for the first time the length of time people have been out of work.
A further 1.9million have been on benefits for seven years or more, according to the Department of Work and Pensions.
The 1.1million unemployed since 1997 amounts to more than a fifth of the 5.2million currently claiming out-of-work benefits.
The figures also reveal that youth employment has soared under Labour from 665,000 in 1997 to 888,000 today - a staggering 34 per cent.
Opposition MPs said the cost to the public purse could be as much as £4billion. They added that an entire generation has permanently dropped out of society, leading to increased family breakdown and crime.
Official statistics show that the gap between rich and poor has widened under Labour, with the poorest 10 per cent forced to survive on an income of just £87-aweek compared to £96 in 1997.
Health inequalities have also increased, growing 4 per cent for men and 11 per cent for women.
The revelations will fuel anger on Labour's backbenches that the party has betrayed the most vulnerable in society.
Frustration boiled over earlier this week when Labour MPs launched a fresh assault on Gordon Brown's controversial decision to abolish the 10p tax band.'

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