The number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Reading was 3,643, or 3.4 per cent of the working age population
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Jobless figures remain stable
By David MillwardJanuary 20, 2012
Jobless figures remained static in Reading last month according to the latest figures.
The number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) in the borough was 3,643, or 3.4 per cent of the working age population.
The rate has been constant for the last three months. There were 1,067 unfilled vacancies in the town over the same period according to the Office of National Statistics.
Samantha Barker, regional development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in the Thames Valley, said: “Whilst it appears encouraging that the rate of people claiming JSA in Reading did not increase this month, the fact figures have remained relatively static suggests that the economy is still sluggish and the Government still needs to be doing more to aid job creation and promote growth.”
Martin Judd, chairman of the Reading and West Berkshire branch of the FSB, added: “There are several large-scale developments going on in Reading this year and these will hopefully generate a large number of jobs for the area.
“This is, on the whole, a great thing for our economy but our local businesses should be aware that a large influx of jobs may create some movement in the jobs market and businesses should be aware of the potential impact this will have.”
The claimant rate in West Berkshire fell slightly from 1.8 per cent to 1.7 per cent in December but the figure remained static at 1.3 per cent in Wokingham. The rate in the South East remained at 2.6 per cent while the proportion of claimants across the UK rose by 0.1 per cent to 3.9 per cent.
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20/01/2012 at 19:05 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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20/01/2012 at 12:58 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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The Reading based children's clothing retailer Pumpkin Patch and Peacocks the umbrella company for Bon Marche have gone into receivership. Pumpkin Patch is pulling out of the UK entirely.
Reading cannot be compared with West Berkshire or with Wokingham simply because we have different socio-economic profiles. The town is rapidly losing its base of small independent businesses. The large retailers are the ones that are suffering most in the current economic downturn - save John Lewis generally. Before people jump up and down saying that the last quarters retail figures showed growth, you need to consider what was brought into that quarter, namely large scale discounting normally associated with January sales and the data comparisons with last years poor weather. On-line sales, the future of retailing, increased significantly.
Remember this - there is far too much spin to build up the town and not enough cool headed analysis of the facts. Even the comments I have made need a warning - they are not the whole story. I make them to highlight that it is not all rosy out there.
20/01/2012 at 10:36 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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