Parties have been responding to the news using the figures that best helped their argument. The Tories are pointing out that the employment numbers show over 1.3 million jobs have been created in the private sector since Coalition Government came to power. For every one job lost in the public sector, three have been created in the private sector.
Grant Shapps, Chairman of the Conservative Party, commented: "These numbers are a credit to British businesses, with 1.3 million new private sector jobs created since the election. There are now more people in work than ever before. Businesses are rising to the challenge and creating jobs for people across the country. The Conservatives have cut taxes to reward work and we're fixing welfare so it always pays to work. Of course there is always more to do and we are not complacent. Our priority now is to carry on getting more people into work, and to help everyone who wants to work hard and get on in life".
Labour decided to compare these figures with the figures at the 2010 general election. Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Liam Byrne MP; "The bottom line is unemployment is now higher than it was at the last election, and today unemployment rose again in two-thirds of England. Long term unemployment is now a massive 100,000 higher than back in 2010, the number of women out of work has risen yet again and last month saw a fall in the number of people coming off benefits. We simply can't go on like this. It's now as plain as day that we need fundamental, long term reform of our social security system, starting with Labour's compulsory jobs guarantee for young people and the long term unemployed."
