Youth unemployment in Wishaw is higher than the North Lanarkshire and Scottish averages

Jan 16 2013 by Robert Mitchell, Wishaw Press

Unemployment in Wishaw is holding level with the wider North Lanarkshire average – but our youth are continuing to get hammered in the jobs market.

The number of young people out of work in the town is 11.3 per cent which is higher than than the North Lanarkshire average of 10.1 per cent and the Scottish figure of 7.1 per cent.

Meanwhile the overall unemployment figure in Wishaw is 5.8 per cent, the same as the North Lanarkshrie average but higher than the Scottish average of 4.3 per cent.

Councillors will be presented with these figures at Wishaw Local Area Partnership meeting today but the report does hold some hope.

Paul Jukes, North Lanarkshire Council’s executive director of environmental services, says in his report: “The Youth Investment Programme was launched in late February but has already secured 770 job and apprentice opportunities for umemployed residents.

“There is a natural time lag in filling vacancies and reporting on them and to date 683 yunemployed residents have now been supported through the scheme.

“To date, 149 of the people supported into emplyment have come from the Wisghaw LAP area.”

That breaks down into 76 people from Wishaw, 43 from Murdostoun and another 30 from Fortissat.

Mr Jukes added: “The figures show that the Wishaw LAP area as a whole seems to have had an appropriate share of the Youth Investment jobs top date, however it is early days for the programme.

“The intital results perhaps do show a need to focus efforts on the Fortissat and Murdostoun areas, to ensure these areas fully benefit from the programme. That said, the Wishaw area has a greater popualtion than the other two areas and is home to some of the authroity’s most deprived areas. “

The LAP meets in Wishaw Library today at 2pm.