Four jobless 'chase every vacancy'

More than four unemployed people are chasing every job vacancy on average across the UK, rising to 31 in some areas, according to a new study.

Unison said its research spelt "danger" for the economy and undermined hopes for a recovery, even before this week's comprehensive spending review (CSR), which is expected to lead to huge job losses.

Private firms and the public sector were already being "poisoned" by spending cuts, which Unison warned would swell dole queues and lead to mass, long-term unemployment.

London was one of the hardest hit regions, with 31 unemployed people for every advertised job in Hackney and 18 in Lewisham, while in the South East, the most prosperous region of the UK, the figure was 16, said Unison.

General secretary Dave Prentis said: "The coalition has got it wrong. By only having a strategy for cuts, it has no plans for growth and recovery. Their public spending cuts are poisoning the private sector and condemning the country to widespread, long-term unemployment and low growth.

"This means misery for millions of families and for taxpayers who will be left to pick up the long-term bill.

"Even now, before the drastic spending cuts have hit home, there are not enough jobs to go around. On average, there are more than four unemployed people for every vacant job across the country.

"No sector is safe from the Chancellor's axe. Despite his claims, there will be no refuge in the private sector for the 725,000 public service workers who face losing their jobs. Private industry will be suffering too, with more than half a million jobs set to go because of the cuts."