Analysis by the Labour Party reported in The New European has found that 320,000 jobs in rural communities are at risk if the Government persist with its ‘one-size-fits-all’ plan to withdraw the job retention scheme in October

Research from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) has suggested that 1.2 million people will be made unemployed by the end of the furlough scheme.

Analysing this research, Labour reports that 31 percent of the jobs lost will be in rural and semi-rural communities in England, and that these losses could result in a 60 percent rise in unemployment in these areas.

Commenting on the analysis, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Luke Pollard MP said that ‘rural communities and small towns have been hit hard by austerity and are already facing severe challenges, including access to transport, educational opportunities and good quality housing. They cannot afford for hundreds of thousands of jobs to go.’

Meanwhile, the Yorkshire Post has reported that despite the increase in job vacancies throughout the pandemic, the areas with a high number of people out of work per vacancy have remained consistent with a notable divide between urban and rural areas.

The paper reports that rural areas have suffered the most, particularly for jobs that are in less accessible areas, requiring jobseekers to have their own car.

Full articles:

LabourList - 320,000 rural jobs at risk under “one-size-fits-all approach”, Labour analysis finds

Yorkshire Post - Ryedale is one of the hardest places in the UK to find a job