UNEMPLOYMENT is falling across the region but more needs to be done according to the North West TUC.

New figures released at the end of December reveal a fall in people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance in the North West but the TUC has called for more to be done to tackle the problem of long-term unemployment.

Liverpool, Manchester and Lancashire are particularly affected, ranked 6th, 9th and 11th respectively amongst local authorities for JSA claimants out of work for more than one year.

Lynn Collins, NW TUC Regional Secretary, said: “We welcome the fall in unemployment that we’ve seen today but the long term unemployment figures show that there is a clear need for more to be done in the region. Seeing people, who want to get back in to work, spend years on the dole is not only demoralising for them but damaging for us too.

“Getting people back in to work and contributing is what we need and want to see. We also need to make sure that people are getting into the work they need – there are nearly 1.5 million people working part time in the UK, when they want and need full time work. We’ve got to get people into jobs that give them the hours and pay they require.”

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that in the North West unemployment has fallen by 29,000 (7.5 per cent) across the region.

However, in total, eighteen North West local authorities have more than 1,000 JSA claimants who will be spending their second successive year out of work but desperately looking.