Official Statistics Show 187 Unemployed in Broughty Ferry are in Receipt of Job Seeker's Allowance

Yesterday, the July 2013 UK Government statistics for unemployment were released. 

Based on the numbers in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance the figures for The Ferry are as follows:

Broughty Ferry 67    2.2 per cent

Balgillo              43    1.0 per cent

Barnhill             48     1.6 per cent

West Ferry        29     1.0 per cent

A total of 187 people in The Ferry ward were claiming Job Seekers Allowance out of work benefit in the latest month (July) , according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

When the September count is released we should unfortunately expect to see a rise as unemployed graduates and school leavers are eligible to claim Job Seeker's Allowance.

The real number of unemployed people is likely to be higher than this as the more  accurate model-based figures from the ONS put the latest available unemployment rate for Dundee as a whole at just over 10 per cent (for the period April 2012- March 2013) which is in excess of the percentage measured by claimants of Job Seekers' Allowance. .

Unemployment inflicts misery on families and households as it usually leads to a drastic reduction in household income and thereby narrows the social contacts that are necessary to maintain a decent family life.

Each person who is unemployed is 100 per cent unemployed and the older that he or she is, the less likely they are to find further employment, which merely adds to the demoralization that unemployment produces.

The unused skills and abilities of the unemployed also represent a waste of potential economic activity that could benefit both the national and the local economy. 

Unemployment in The Ferry - October 2012 Update

In October 2012, there were 210 unemployed men and women in Broughty Ferry according to statistics released from the Office of National Statistics.

These figures are based on the claimant count; the number of people claiming Job Seekers' Allowance. These figures therefore exclude those individuals who are unemployed and seeking work but do not qualify for Job Seekers' Allowance. The official figures also exclude those individuals that are underemployed currently seeking more hours of paid work.

Unemployment in Broughty Ferry broken down into individual areas:
Broughty Ferry central  63
Balgillo                       73
Barnhill                       43
West Ferry                  31
                                         +

Total The Ferry  210

These figures are a stark reminder that unemployment hits areas such as The Ferry with the same force for the individuals affected and their families as it does elsewhere. As one Labour politician commented in the 1960's, 'for the unemployed person, unemployment is 100%'.

The unemployment figures for The Ferry do not sit in isolation. Alongside them are the figures for Dundee that show that the unemployment rate in the city continues to be higher than it is in Glasgow.

These high rates of unemployment result from the policies of a complacent UK Government. They urgently need to adopt Labour’s 5 point plan for jobs which includes a tax on bankers’ bonuses. Also responsible is an out of touch Scottish Government now permanently focused on its referendum for a separate Scotland that needs to re-order its priorities.