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Female employees in region hardest hit by jobs cuts

Women in the North East are the worst victims of the recession according to new statistics.

Between December 2007 and April 2011, the number of women employed in the region decreased by 5.09 percent, the highest figure in Britain. This percentage is almost 2.5 times higher than any other region in England.

Worryingly, 34,000 women in the region in the region lost their jobs in April 2011 alone, 1000 lower than at the height of the recession.

It is still believed the worse is yet to come however, as the full effects of public sector cuts are still set to take full effect. Two thirds of employees in the North East public sector are female, and the public sector accounts for a third of all jobs in the region. Women are also more reliant on the public services which are to be cut due to decreasing budgets.

Northern TUC Policy and Campaigns officer Neil Foster places blame for these shocking figures on the coalitions “disastrous economic policies”.

He said: “It is both ethically wrong and economically absurd that the livelihoods of 32,000 North East women have been sacrificed to pay for a crisis not of their making. We fear this number will rise even higher as George Osborne’s cuts deepen and destroy public and voluntary sector jobs.

Neil is now calling for the government to support a “Robin Hood Tax” on banks to raise £20 billion, and crack down on tax evaders who cost the country around £40 billion annually.

He added: “They should also develop an alternative plan for jobs and growth and give people their livelihoods back.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .