16 July 2009
Four times as many people are chasing every job in rural areas compared with 12 months ago, the Local Government Association has said.
Analysis of vacancies shows that there are now nine jobseekers for every post – and the rate is rising much faster in rural areas than in cities.
LGA chair Margaret Eaton said: ‘The very special needs of the rural economy must not be overlooked as the recession continues to bite and unemployment continues to rise. Market towns and villages tend to be much more reliant on the family-run independent businesses that can be at particular risk of going under during tough financial times.
‘The recession is affecting different parts of the country very differently and it is clear that a national, one-size-fits-all approach simply isn’t going to work. The fastest way to move from recession to recovery is for more decisions about the economy to be taken at the local level.’
Four times as many people are chasing every job in rural areas compared with 12 months ago, the Local Government Association has said.
Analysis of vacancies shows that there are now nine jobseekers for every post – and the rate is rising much faster in rural areas than in cities.
LGA chair Margaret Eaton said: ‘The very special needs of the rural economy must not be overlooked as the recession continues to bite and unemployment continues to rise. Market towns and villages tend to be much more reliant on the family-run independent businesses that can be at particular risk of going under during tough financial times.
‘The recession is affecting different parts of the country very differently and it is clear that a national, one-size-fits-all approach simply isn’t going to work. The fastest way to move from recession to recovery is for more decisions about the economy to be taken at the local level.’
