Dundee has the highest rate of “hidden” unemployment in Scotland.
The term captures people with long-term sickness, people who have stopped looking, and those who just don’t think there are any good jobs available.
When you add them to the list of people seeking work, research suggests an alarming 16% of people in the city are “economically inactive”.
It’s a problem that divides politicians and leaves experts stumped.
So how do you fix the problem in the City of Discovery?
Are there no good jobs out there?
Alan Duncan, from the Grey Lodge Settlement, a community group supporting young people in the city, questioned whether some people find working attractive.
“People are looking for a job that pays for everything they want rather than everything they need, and there is a big difference there,” he said.
“We are finding a lot of people want to volunteer because it is more attractive – there is less pressure, and no insistence on being there 9-5.”
He says some parents don’t want young people to do anything that would affect benefits.
“The question is, is that for the parents or the young people?” he said.
“There are jobs out there but maybe it is a case of people are not as keen to work as they used to be.”
What does the research show?
- The official unemployment rate in Dundee is 4.8%, compared with 3.6% nationally.
- The new research, by a group called the Centre for Cities, adds other economically inactive people to the list to reach the far higher 16.3%, compared with 14.9% nationally.
- The total does not include students, retirees or people looking after their families.
- It leaves Dundee worst in Scotland and 18th worst urban area in the UK.
- Of those who are economically inactive in Dundee, 34% have long-term ill-health and 6.7% have low skills.
‘Unjust’
Dundee-based Ewan Gurr, of the anti-poverty charity Over, said he has seen people becoming disengaged because of “horrendous” experiences at the Job Centre.
He said: “There is a high proportion of people who are accessing these services for the first time because of the cost of living, and these are people who have worked their entire life and are not used to working the social security system.
“They don’t know how to access council tax benefits, housing benefits, or the quirks around applying for Universal Credit.”
He said people had bad experiences in the system.
“Some people don’t want to engage because of a bad experience – it could be something as trivial as a 25-year-old telling them how to get a job, or the oppressive nature of the Department for Work and Pensions,” he added.
“And for those in their 50s or 60s who are still below retirement age, they are maybe not used to using a computer or a laptop to access things and then can be left penniless.”
Beyond any obstacles with the system, is there a skills gap among citizens?
Tracy McNally from Dundee Citizens’ Advice Bureau says: “There are quite a lot of jobs out there but there seems to be a shortage of experience.
“I am finding myself advertising for jobs and not getting people applying for them even though they are good jobs with a good salary.
“We are finding it really difficult to get people, and that is across the city – I don’t know what is going on at the moment.”
Is there are political fix?
Maurice Golden, Conservative MSP for the North East, said more businesses need to come and make Dundee their home.
He highlighted the legacy of redundancies linked to Timex, NCR and Michelin in the city.
“This is a worrying trend for Dundee because we don’t have the diversity of businesses to sustain employment,” he said.
He is campaigning to get a plastic recycling facility and businesses focusing on tackling climate change brought to the city to help boost the number of jobs available.
Stewart Hosie, SNP MP for Dundee East, said the figures “hide a multitude of sins”.
“Clearly every city and every government needs to do more to create more jobs, and more highly-skilled jobs to ensure even the lowest wages are driven up,” he said.
“There is a great deal of work going on behind-the-scenes to encourage investment.
“I can see that happening in the innovation park at the old Michelin site, and Dundee is blessed with a lot of IT and gaming companies and the university infrastructure that provides that skilled labour force.”
Conversation