In the previous three months the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) in Sussex has risen by 1,200.
Unemployment in Sussex is now hitting the highest level for nine months as firms cut staff in order to remain solvent.
In Feburary alone the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Sussex rose by more than 500 to the highest level since May last year.
The number of jobless people In Brighton and Hove, rose by more than 100 month-on-month and by a total of 216 over the last three months.
Secretary of Brighton and Hove Unemployed Workers Centre, Tony Greenstein, said that more and more people in the city were struggling to find jobs: “Brighton hasn’t got a manufacturing base, we are very dependent on the retail sector, which has been hit particularly hard in recent months. We are seeing more and more people who are looking for work but are simply unable to find it because there is not a lot out there. Firms are trying to cut costs in all sorts of ways and the first way is to get rid of labour. It’s a vicious circle.”
“The positive message we can take from these figures is that business is able to drive the recovery despite the challenges still facing the economy, both at home and abroad. However, we still need a clear and effective growth strategy that combines deregulation, measures to support exporters and the early creation of a business bank if we stand a chance of seeing a lasting recovery.”
