South Ayrshire’s jobless youth shame

Aug 20 2010 by Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

THE number of youngsters out of work in South Ayrshire is soaring.

And the area is now one of Britain’s worst for youth unemployment.

Shock figures have revealed a 120 per cent rise in 18-24 year-olds claiming Jobseekers Allowance.

It puts South Ayrshire near the top of a national league of shame.

The statistics, released by the STUC, show a huge hike in jobless youths.

And council chiefs admit concerns at the growing trend.

South Ayrshire leader Bill McIntosh said: “The youth unemployment figures are of concern to the council; however it is important they are put into context both at a regional level and at a national level.

“In general, our youth unemployment figures generally reflect the trend across the country and our 2 per cent figure is equivalent to that of Glasgow and below those in East Ayrshire 3 per cent and North Ayrshire 4 per cent.

“We are working hard to address this and have been carrying out a significant amount of work to improve youth employment opportunities and to ensure young people move on to positive destinations.

“Young people are our future and we must do everything possible that we can to support and encourage them into employment. Our approach is proving to be a success and we continue to work with a number of partners to deliver the best possible outcomes for the young people of South Ayrshire.”

However, employers have hit back at the claims there are no jobs to go around.

And one Ayrshire company claims the problem is more to do with attitude among youngsters.

Stuart Pollock, director of Dundonald’s E Partner Telecom, revealed: “We’ve had a job advertised for six weeks and the lack of interest has astounded me.

“Only three people have applied but none of them bothered to show up for the interview.

“We’re not talking about a job with huge qualification requirements – it’s a £15,000 call centre post that should be attractive to plenty of people.

“Now we’ve had to employ a head-hunting agency to try and find someone.

“It just makes me laugh when I read about youth unemployment because there’s clearly jobs out there – it’s just a matter of going out and getting them.”