Randerson slams Labour-Plaid failures as Cardiff Female Unemployment rises 102% in a year.

5.40.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 17th Jun 2009

The number of women facing unemployment in Cardiff is deeply worrying

The latest unemployment figures released by Cardiff County Council show that unemployment in the Welsh Capital has soared dramatically since May 2008.

The number of claimants increased from 4,825 in May 2008 to 8,858 in May 2009, an increase of 4,033, or 83.6%. This compares with an increase of 90.9% for Wales as a whole over the same period.

Jenny Randerson, Liberal Democrat Shadow Economic Development Spokesperson said:

"These latest figures show that the financial crisis and ongoing recession has had a devastating impact on the Welsh economy. Labour has sat back and allowed a casino credit boom to grow our economy without planning for the inevitable and epic bust. Many of the jobs lost in Cardiff have been in financial services and construction because stability gave way to short-termism. If financial services had been better regulated, if banks had been made to work responsibly, if Government had done its job, we might have a stable and sustainable finance and construction sector. Cardiff workers should be selling common sense mortagages and building truly green houses, not looking for work while bankers count bonuses made at taxpayers' expense."

When the difference between May 2008 and May 2009 is broken down by gender the increase for males is 78.4% and females is 102.3%. This compares with 94.2% for males and 80.8% for females for Wales as a whole.

Jenny Randerson commented:

"It's particularly worrying that females in Cardiff have been hardest hit by this recession. This may reflect the job sectors and roles in which females are more likely to work, often lower paid than males and it would seem, more likely to be cut in tight times. We need to ensure that the steps we take now to train, upskill and re-employ women and men are focused on sustainable growth sectors - for the long-term."