Crawley Labour call for specialist help for over-50s to return to work, as figures show a local increase of 40.7%

The rate of over-50s on unemployment benefits in Crawley has grown by 40.7% between the start of the pandemic and the beginning of this year.

New analysis shows that, nationally, there are now 364,175 over-50s on unemployment benefits and looking for work, marking a huge change in older worker unemployment since before the pandemic. In Crawley, there are now 640 over 50s on unemployment benefits looking for a job, an increase of 185 local workers.

The Conservative failure to provide proper support to help people into work is letting these residents down, along with hundreds of thousands of others out-of-work older workers, who need better support to find employment that can help.

Over-50s face particular challenges in seeking to find work and at present lack the much needed support necessary to help them bring their talents back into employment, a huge loss not only for those affected, but society as a whole. The Labour Party nationally has recognised this issue and have committed to providing specialist help to help over-50s return to work, with no sign of action from the Government so far.