UNISON, the UK’s largest union, is warning that underemployment is masking broader economic problems and holding back the recovery.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) out today show that the number of underemployed people has risen by more than one million between 2008 and 2012.
The union is warning that people stuck in part time work will be more reliant on in-work benefits as well as having less money to spend in local shops and businesses, which is what we need to fuel our economic recovery.
It is calling on the government to take urgent action – investing in infrastructure to create jobs, and to end the public sector pay freeze – helping to avoid a triple dip recession.
Assistant general secretary Karen Jennings said: “The government likes to claim that the employment statistics are proof of our recovery. Underemployment statistics expose this claim as a sham.
“No wonder our economic growth has faltered – more than three million people are underemployed, many of them are stuck in part-time work, but want full-time hours.
“Growing underemployment is masking broader economic problems and holding back the recovery.
“We desperately need people to be out spending to fuel a real recovery. The government should intervene – creating jobs by investing in infrastructure and ending the public sector pay freeze to put money in people’s pockets.
“The alternative is to allow our economy to carry on falling into a triple dip recession.”
ends