Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Andrew Love (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 5 February 2007 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Worklessness

Question: The problem in my constituency is that whereas in recent months unemployment has been stagnant—slightly rising, in fact—the number of job vacancies for skilled employees has gone up. There is a mismatch. I know that that is not the Minister’s responsibility, but surely the Department for Work and Pensions must do something to bring together the people and skills that are necessary to address the problem in constituencies such as mine.

Answer: My hon. Friend is absolutely right; that is one of the significant and enduring challenges that we still face. More than 900,000 people are on jobseeker’s allowance, but there are 600,000 vacancies in the economy. We have to be smarter at matching those still out of work with vacancies in the economy. Part of that is about skills but part is about how we market the jobs. In future, through Jobcentre Plus, we should market jobs with flexible opportunities and family-friendly hours so that we maximise every opportunity not only to put people into work but to ensure that they stay in sustained employment that pays and lifts their families out of poverty.

Secondary information