Borough bucks national job trend
Date published: 18 June 2009
AGAINST the national trend, which has seen unemployment soar to a 12-year high, the number of people out of work in Oldham fell in the last month.
The total figure of 6,786 is down by 140 — generally attributed to the opening of the new Tesco Extra in Huddersfield Road.
The number of men out of work in the borough fell by 86 to 5,174, and women by 54 to 1,612.
Oldham is one of only four Greater Manchester authorities to record a drop in unemployment figures and is the only one to record a three-digit fall.
In percentage terms, Oldham’s rate stands at 5.1 of the working population, comparing unfavourably with the national average of 4.1 and the regional 4.6.
Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas said: “I am cautiously optimistic. Oldham companies are fighting like fury to keep jobs.”
Oldham West and Royton MP Michael Meacher hopes the downward trend continues in the coming months so people can be certain things are moving in the right direction and not fluctuating month on month.
Nationally the jobless total increased by 232,000 in the three months to April to reach 2.26 million, the worst figure since the end of 1996.
