UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:
“A fall in the number of people unemployed is positive but it’s important to look beyond the figures. The poor quality of work available and the lack of job security means many people are in work but really struggling to make ends meet.
“The figures show a rise in the number of women who had to accept part-time jobs as they couldn’t find full time employment.
“For the past few years workers have had no pay rise, while rising costs of energy bills, transport and childcare leaves households in precarious situations. As long as salaries continue to rise below the inflation rate the cost of living crisis will remain.
“The divide between north and south of England remains a worry as the north east has the highest unemployment rate in the UK at 10.3%. In-work poverty is a reality for millions of workers in the UK.”
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