Greg Hands has welcomed new figures today showing 561,000 more people in work across London since Labour were last in power, and a record level of employment across the UK as a whole, with over 2.3 million more people enjoying the security of a job than in 2010.
In Chelsea & Fulham, the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit while not in employment has fallen by 884 – a 46 per cent drop – since 2010.
The figures also show that wages are continuing to grow strongly, with average total pay up 2 per cent, while inflation is close to flat. This means that working people across Chelsea & Fulham are seeing their wages grow, and the Conservative majority Government’s plan for a higher-employment and higher-wage economy is working.
With employment at a record 74 per cent, and the majority of the increase in employment over the last year in full-time jobs, today’s statistics show that the Conservatives’ long-term economic plan is working. It’s creating jobs and growing wages for families in Chelsea & Fulham as we continue to move towards the goal of full employment that the Conservative Party committed to in their manifesto.
Member of Parliament for Chelsea & Fulham, Greg Hands, said: "Today’s figures are excellent news for families in Chelsea & Fulham, marking an important milestone in the road to full employment. With employment at the highest rate in our history, wages continuing to grow above inflation, and the unemployment rate now below the level we last saw before Labour’s Great Recession, it’s clear that our long-term economic plan is working.
"We can see that right here in Chelsea & Fulham, where the number of people relying on Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit while out of work has fallen by 884 since 2010 – a 46 per cent drop. My constituents are benefitting from new jobs being created, and each new job means a worker and their family with the security of a wage.
"But with Britain facing a dangerous cocktail of new risks in the global economy, this year it’s more important than ever that we stick to our long-term economic plan to fix Britain’s finances, as we continue to work to deliver security for families here in Chelsea & Fulham and across the UK."