New employment figures mean workers are worse-off

Do today's lower unemployment figures really mean fewer people are out of work?

Do today’s lower unemployment figures really mean fewer people are out of work?

The government will no doubt be ecstatic about new figures from the Office for National Statistics, claiming that unemployment has fallen again and now stands at 2.02 million, or 6.2 per cent of the workforce.

That does not mean more people are in work!

We know from other statistical releases that the highest rise in – let’s call it – ’employment’ is due to people claiming they are self-employed (whether they are actually doing any work or not – some are sole traders who have stayed on past retirement age because business has been poor, while others are unemployed but prefer to claim tax credits rather than run the gauntlet of unfair benefit sanctions at Job Centre Plus (until HMRC catches up with them)).

And the proliferation of ‘Mandatory Work Activity’ schemes means another large proportion of people without jobs are being wiped from the books every month, while they slave for large corporations at the taxpayers’ expense.

This is reflected in the fact that average wages have risen by just 0.6 per cent in the last year. Take out executive pay and you can bet that average pay has fallen.

Now let’s add in the fact that CPI inflation is at 1.5 per cent – almost one per cent higher than the fiddled rate of pay. And RPI inflation is even higher, at 2.4 per cent.

This means, as the BBC News article points out, that “for most of us, there’s more month left at the end of the money and not vice versa”.

These figures are a disaster for the majority of British people who are on low pay and/or benefits.

Do not let Tory politicians or their mouthpieces in the media fool you.

It is all part of your government’s policy to weaken and enslave the most vulnerable.

Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike

Join the Vox Political Facebook page.

Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
showing up the facts behind the stats!

Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

HWG PrintHWG eBook

The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:

SWAHTprint SWAHTeBook

Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(
but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:

Donate Button with Credit Cards

latest video

news via inbox

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

10 Comments

  1. Mr.Angry September 18, 2014 at 11:48 am - Reply

    Sadly concocted by the tories for the tories, more smoke and mirrors, I despair.

  2. HomerJS September 18, 2014 at 12:41 pm - Reply

    Another thing is that official inflation is much lower than the actual inflation that people experience. Just another figure that is distorted and manipulated by those who have the power.

  3. creatorsnotconsumers September 18, 2014 at 12:46 pm - Reply

    Thanks Mike, on the button as ever.

  4. Peter Wyatt September 18, 2014 at 1:37 pm - Reply

    Unemployment is broken up into sections, if 2.2 is the best section it don’t look good for the other sections, One group of people that never get counted are those that have registered as unemployed and get no benefits whats so ever.

    • Mike Sivier September 18, 2014 at 4:29 pm - Reply

      That’s because the taxpayer doesn’t have to pay for them.

  5. Jeffrey Davies September 18, 2014 at 4:07 pm - Reply

    stacking shelves for those joking charitys salvation at hand nah the poor sods who took their advice and went self employed most are on those no hour contracts surving on their tax credits and child tax yet when their ear ends its ops the tax man will say you got to pay it all back because one hasnt worked the hours yes they didnt tell them that smoke and mirrors work were even the people i talk to when a job is advertised you have to get in that que jeff3

  6. Landless Peasant September 18, 2014 at 4:28 pm - Reply

    Yep, it’s total horse sh*t. The type of propaganda Goebbels would have indulged in.

  7. jray September 18, 2014 at 5:02 pm - Reply

    Being a natural Bullsh*t detector….If the unemployment (sic) has fallen so fast? Where is Mark Carney? 7% and he would raise the Bank rate..6.2% still no raise..I don’t like the little sh*t, but? He is not fooled by this latest fantasy,as in “He is not willing to put his ass on the line” So wake the £*ck up!

    • Mike Sivier September 23, 2014 at 3:21 pm - Reply

      I’m not sure I know what you mean by that. Who’s asleep?

  8. casalealex September 18, 2014 at 9:20 pm - Reply

    …and of course those who have been sanctioned…..

Leave A Comment