TUC warns of rise in women’s job losses

Study published at TUC Women’s Conference says that male unemployment is now falling but women’s has taken an upturn

Women will bear the brunt of a second wave of unemployment triggered by public sector redundancies, warn union leaders.

Analysis of last year’s official Labour Force Survey figures by the TUC shows that while men were worst affected by redundancies triggered by the economic crisis, male unemployment is now falling but for women there has been a sharp upturn.

Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, blamed the second wave of unemployment on the government cutting public sector jobs. There are nearly twice as many women as men working in the public sector.

Overall, since the start of the recession unemployment has risen by 530,000 among men, an increase of 3.1 percentage points to 8.6%. Female unemployment has increased by 346,000, a rise of 2.3 points to 7.1%. But in the past year male unemployment has fallen by 31,000 (0.3 points), while female unemployment has risen by 71,000, (0.5 points). Unemployment among men is at its highest since 1996, and for women its highest since 1988.

Job losses in local authorities, Whitehall, schools and hospitals are gathering pace ahead of the new financial year in April, when the government’s budget cuts kick in properly.

At the end of last year the Office for Budget Responsibility predicted 360,000 public sector jobs will go over four years. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show a 33,000 fall in public sector jobs last year.

Since the downturn there has been a fall of 34,000 in retail vacancies, a 14,000 fall in administrative and secretarial jobs, the number of education vacancies has fallen by 20,000 and the number of jobs in health and social work down by 18,000.

Barber said: “While the government focuses all its energy on cuts, our unemployment crisis continues to grow. The UK desperately needs an economic strategy that prioritises growth and jobs to bring revenues in and the deficit down. The current plan of deep, rapid cuts is causing job losses to mount and sending our economy in the wrong direction.”

The study was published at the opening of the TUC Women’s Conference in Eastbourne, which is being held until Friday.