Just under a fifth of the coalition's 'million new jobs' are the result of the reclasification of further education and sixth form college teachers as private sector employees.
David Cameron likes to boast that his government has created over a million private sector jobs since 2010.
The Prime Minister has made the claim in the commons during PMQs, and yesterday it was once again made by chairman of the Conservative party Grant Shapps in an article entitled ‘Five simple messages for the doorstep this Christmas‘.
“We are cutting taxes for British businesses, helping to create jobs. Overall, 1.1 million more people are now working compared to the election,” Shapps boasted, accompanying his post with the following graph:
The first thing one notices about the graph is the large jump in private sector jobs seemingly created in April 2012, just short of two years after the coalition came to office. Perhaps on seeing this graph you, like me, were wondering what accounted for this encouraging surge in private sector employment last year. What innovative (and clearly successful) policy did the coalition introduce which created so many jobs so quickly?
They didn’t, is the answer, because the large increase in private sector employment seen in April 2012 was actually nothing of the sort, but rather was due to the reclasification of 196,000 public sector jobs to private sector ones. In reality, just under a fifth of the coalition’s ‘million new jobs’ are actually the result of the reclasification of further education and sixth form college teachers as private sector employees.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) made this clear last year when it said:
“These educational bodies employed 196,000 people in March 2012 and the reclassification therefore results in a large fall in public sector employment and a corresponding large increase in private sector employment between March and June 2012.”
Claiming the government has created a ‘million new jobs’ relies on a completely dishonest interpretation of the figures. Especially making the same claim repeatedly even after it’s been pointed out as wrong by no less than the ONS.
And this from a party which in opposition regularly accused Labour of twisting the statistics to suit its own agenda.
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19 Responses to “The Tory sleight of hand over ‘1.1 million more’ private sector jobs”
Kevin Leonard
There are actually more unemployed as once again the coalition manipulate the figures by taking out those on “Workfare”(modern slavery to enhance the private sector) and Sanctions which have increased daily to remove even more from the figures. As for the premise that labour have lost the argument? the January figures will see a dramatic fall back in employment and once the credit card bills hit the end of the month confidence will be knocked out of the ballpark, How anyone can support a lying fraudulent despicable shower willing to have the deaths of the poor sick and disabled on their hands as collateral damage to augment an ideological stance is beyond me But we live in a free country and each and every single adult is allowed to be stupid once in their life.
Vicky Upton
You are so very ill informed Sparky. You have believed the C**P that is coming from their falsification on the unemployment records. There are so many people that have dissapeared due to sanctions forced upon the sick and disabled, there fore we cease to exist, until we win our tribunal appeals, which we are doing fast and furious….. So please take time to read and think about what this Rich and so called Biased Government is doing to fellow citizens, that is without what they are doing to the elderly and less fortunate. Shame on you and shame on anyone else that is sanctioning what this Government is doing to it’s people.
bookmanwales
All the employment / unemployment figures released have been wrong and downright lies.
Every release has failed the test of even basic maths.
If we believe the the figures issued and that employment is at an all time high how come the official unemployment figures have barely moved ?
In 2010 the unemployment figure was 2.52 million, in Dec 2013 the unemployment figure is 2.47 million a change of just 50,000.
According to the DWP releases every quarter has shown a huge increase in the number of employed people ?? SO, WHERE DID THEY COME FROM ??
The only other group these extra workers could have come from (if not the unemployed ) is the “economically inactive” in other words people who are not looking for work. This group also has seen no significant fall since 2010 8.92 million in 2010 8.9 million in 2013 around 20,000.
So can someone please tell me where the extra million plus people have appeared from to lead to this massive increase in overall employment ?? How has unemployment fallen for the last 5 quarters yet remains virtually the same ???
One extremely confused guy here !!!
Sparky
You might reflect upon the fact that at the last election, 59% of voters voted either Conservative or Lib Dem. 29% of voters voted Labour. In other words, twice as many people rejected Left wing policies as wanted them. So it’s a myth to say that Labour are the ‘people’s party’ and that only rich ‘fat cats’ and the ‘1%’ vote Tory. It patently isn’t true on the facts. ‘Ordinary’ people in their millions rejected Labour. This huge groundswell of outraged popular opinion that you believe will rise up and sweep Labour back to power only exists on sites like this.
By the way, your understanding of economic statistics is incorrect. Unemployment figures are seasonally adjusted so fluctuations due to Christmas employment are already factored into the January figures. Similarly with consumer confidence. Factors such as how well-off people feel due to credit card bills from Christmas are irrelevant since the Jan figures are compared to the Jan last year.
TM
Because of the first rule of politics: lie!!!