Labour’s damage to the jobs market is now clear - the numbers paint a dismal reality

Labour’s damage to the economy is now bleeding directly into the jobs market. The headline unemployment figures are doing flattering work for what is a rather dismal reality. Yes, the number of people unemployed fell slightly last month but the rise in economic inactivity was nearly twice as large.People are giving up looking for work entirely, and many of them are now parked on sickness benefits. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Under Labour nearly 300,000 more people are unemployed. There are nearly 190,000 fewer jobs than just two years ago. This is a jobs crisis.For those who are in work, private sector workers are seeing their pay rise at half the rate of people in the public sector.Young people are being hit hardest. We now have a million young people not in education, employment, or training.A generation that should be starting careers is instead stuck.This is incredibly damaging for young people themselves, and its effect will be felt for years to come.Since Rachel Reeves moved into Downing Street, businesses have been pulling back - cutting hiring plans, freezing recruitment, and letting people go.Labour does not understand what it takes to run a business. Labours jobs tax has pushed up the cost of hiring. Extra red tape makes hiring riskier. Both mean fewer jobs.I speak to small businesses in my constituency, and it is clear they are feeling Labour’s damage most acutely.Many operate on thin margins, and the jobs tax was the thing that tipped some of them over.Across the country, small firms have cut hours, let staff go, or simply closed. For young people who need a break, a local business is usually a good answer - but many just can’t take the risk on an inexperienced new hire any more.The only way to turn around worklessness in Britain is jobs. We will champion the small businesses, family firms, major employers and investors who take risks, create jobs, support communities and get Britain working. That means keeping the cost of hiring down, cutting unnecessary regulation, and creating the conditions for employers to grow with confidence.And we’ll back young people with more apprenticeships - funded by cutting back on low value university degrees.Hand in hand with more jobs we’ll reform welfare, so work pays better than benefits. When there’s so much competition for ever fewer jobs, but benefits can pay you more than a wage, it’s no surprise more people are ending up on benefits. That has to change.Labour has only one answer – more taxes and more spending. Only the Conservatives will get Britain working again. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter