Chances of finding a job ‘ worst in 50 years’

EMPLOYMENT

THE ODDS of finding a job are the worst in 50 years, with thousands of people chasing a handful of vacancies at firms across the UK, research suggests.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown, inset, said finding a job has “lottery- style” odds of higher than 4,000 to one.

A study by the Alliance For Full Employment ( AFFE), which Mr Brown has formed with politicians across the country, revealed a “shocking” ratios.

Data on vacancies analysed by the AFFE showed there were 15,000 people chasing 10 assembly operative jobs in Birmingham; 4,228 applicants for a trainee paralegal legal position in London; 1,000 applications for a receptionist role at a restaurant in London; 2,154 applicants for an vacancies- to- jobseeker administrator position in Coventry; 2,653 applicants for an assembly operative position in Sunderland and 2,932 applications to be a warehouse worker in Northumberland. Mr Brown said: “You’re almost as likely to win the National Lottery as this jobs lottery. This is not the levelling up that we were promised.” He urged the Government to enact an emergency jobs recovery programme or the odds on finding a job will get worse.

The former prime minister, who addressed Labour’s “virtual” conference yesterday, said that with millions more people facing redundancy after the furlough scheme ends on October 31, the prospects of gaining employment will diminish still further.

Before the pandemic, job vacancies were usually around 500,000 – one for every two to three people unemployed.