Unemployment rates ‘significantly’ higher than the national average in Oldham East and Saddleworth

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Data released by the House of Commons Library shows that there were 6,125 people claiming unemployment social security support in the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency in October, 9.4% of which were 16-64 year olds compared with 6.3% across the UK as a whole.  

There are 2,790 more people claiming unemployment support than in March, before the lockdown, and young people are being particularly affected with 1,330 claimants aged 18-24 in October, 660 higher than in March.

Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, reacted to the data, saying: “The Government’s failure to face up to the scale of this jobs crisis in time has cost people across my constituency their livelihoods and taken the local rate of unemployment significantly above the national average.

“There are too many last-minute changes from this government. The Chancellor needs to urgently provide support to those who have lost their jobs and get Britain back to work when we emerge from this pandemic, and bring forward investment in a green recovery, which will help create hundreds of thousands of low-carbon jobs.

"As we fight to Build Back Better, we must make sure that we build back with quality jobs. Only last week the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released figures showing that over 2 million workers have been paid less than the National Minimum Wage this year. 

"In the North West the number of workers paid less than the minimum wage has increased significantly from 52,000 in 2019 up to 222,000 this year. This is unlawful, exploitative and must stop. It's totally unacceptable that anyone should be paid less than the minimum wage, especially during the pandemic, as many people who are furloughed are being expected to survive on just 80% of a wage that is already insufficient to maintain a reasonable standard of living."