Another week and more positive economic news. This time from the OECD which, hot on the heels of the IMF upgrade in UK growth forecasts, has predicted that we will grow faster than Germany this year.
You might be thinking that you've not seen this elsewhere, and you can be forgiven if so. Because the usual troop who wheel out negative forecasts have chosen to stay silent.
But this news should be covered. Because it matters. Not just for the UK overall, but here in Burnley and Padiham too. In our part of the world, our businesses are pushing ahead. They are innovating, manufacturing, designing, and developing. They deserve a shout out too.
For them to be successful we need a healthy economy in the UK and globally. And we need to get the job vacancies they have open, filled. That’s why I’ve been working so hard with both Burnley College and the expanding UClan campus to do what I can to link up business with education.
Our area has higher levels of unemployment than elsewhere, but there is no shortage of jobs. Having so many unfilled positions means we must take a firmer stance on those who choose not to work and remain unemployed for extended periods.
As a country we now have more than 2.5 million people on long term sick leave, and are losing more than 185.6 million working days due to sickness or injury according to the Office for National Statistics. And this doesn’t include those who have other reasons not to be in work.
But we should be clear that this comes at a huge cost for our local businesses, for you – the taxpayer, and for those households that are, as a result, reliant on the state. There are of course very genuine cases, where we should offer help and support, but those choosing to use the system to their advantage unfairly need to be identified and brought back into employment.
The alternative is, quite simply, unsustainable.
I’ve been speaking to the Chancellor and Work & Pensions Secretary to reverse this trend, and it’s a key part of my discussions with our largest employers. We’re now seeing a crack-down on benefit fraud, a strategy to tackle long-term unemployment, better occupational health and a laser like focus on training people in the skills where there are job vacancies to match. Together that will help save taxpayers money, boost our businesses, and give those who can the ability to forge their own economic future without state reliance.
