Douglas Alexander to say government is complacent over jobs

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

In a speech to Demos tomorrow shadow welfare secretary Douglas Alexander will say that the government is ignoring the “real and present danger in the jobs market”, preferring to concentrate on double dips and rapid market recovery:

“In the sometimes overblown media claims about double-dips, and rapid recovery, I think there is a risk that the real and present danger in the jobs market goes almost unnoticed. I’m worried that, the Government is too complacent about the risk of a slower and more painful return than many yet realise to the levels of employment and unemployment we have become used to.”

Alexander will also warn against allowing high levels of unemployment to build in any one area, saying:

“We don’t just need to avoid a jobless recovery across the country, we need to prevent one in any community. Otherwise, the risk is that we don’t see jobs emerging in those areas and a hugely expensive and socially damaging trend of rising long term unemployment can’t be reversed because there are so few vacancies in certain areas.”

There are some kind words for his opposite number though, with Alexander set to say that the IDS welfare reforms are “amelioration” of the chancellor’s plans, but he will conclude that:

“As in their whole approach to welfare reform, without work it won’t work.”