Today, I will be holding my 7th annual Pendle Jobs Fair at the Colne Muni between 11am and 4pm. I am delighted that 21 businesses from various sectors will be there, as well as six training providers, more than ever before.
Barnfield Construction, Training 2000, Farmhouse Biscuits and Silentnight are all generously sponsoring the Fair, with support from Jobcentre Plus.
The Fair is for anyone looking to secure their first job or to get back into work. However, there will also be opportunities for those interested in how to extend their range of skill, gain advice on CV writing or are looking for a new career direction. Do come along.
The Fair takes place at a time of sustained record high employment. The latest independent information from the Office for National Statistics, published this week, confirmed the rate of unemployment is lower than at any time since 1975, after over 400,000 new jobs were created last year. Contrary to some claims, the majority of new jobs are higher-skilled, permanent and full-time.
The number of women in work also hit a new record high, an issue I have raised repeatedly in Parliament. Under our country’s second female Prime Minister and with new laws shining a light on the gender pay gap, this is important progress towards a fairer economy.
Equally importantly, inflation has also fallen and we are back to wages growing ahead of inflation. Tax changes at the start of the month combined with a boost to the National Living Wage will also benefit the lowest-paid by £2,000 a year.
Ten years on from the biggest financial crash and recession of my lifetime, our economy is continuing to heal.
However, there is still more to do to ensure that no-one who wants work is unemployed, and that the jobs available locally are challenging and rewarding. I was therefore deeply disappointed with the regrettable and short-sighted announcement late last week of 162 job losses at Rolls-Royce.
This will be a worrying time for local employees. I regularly meet with trade union representatives and have already spoken to Rolls-Royce’s management about how they will be supporting those directly affected.
That said, Pendle remains a great place to live and an ever better place find work. We are fortunate to have a number of exceptional firms who are hiring.