Step Ahead
An effective enslavement of the unemployed. It provides cheap labour for employers. Given the option of actual hiring of part/full time positions or cheap labour/slaves the decision is a no-brainer for employers thus actually creating joblessness. How about something actually useful, such as learning a second language? For some reason this choice is not available, despite the vast cost of these schemes to the taxpayer.
GAP
A massaging of the unemployment figures to say the least. Graduates are rewarded for their hard work earning qualifications by working for no money. The idea that this is a good way to gain experience for future employment is ridiculous as why would employers hire anyone when they are ensured constant, qualified, free labour.
There are reports that the ConDem government is considering cutting Corporation Tax rates in Northern Ireland. This follows ongoing demands from all the mainstream parties for a reduction in the current baseline rates of 28% for big businesses and 21% for those with a turnover of less than £300,000. The parties claim that this will enable Northern Ireland to compete with the Republic of Ireland in attracting investment (the rate in the South is 12.5%).
In the past 12 months over half a million workers have been sacked across Northern Ireland and Britain. In the North, over 102,000 people are unable to find work - more than double the official unemployment statistics.
Break the power of the banks and big business