Crawley is an economically vibrant area and, with unemployment at 2.8 per cent, is relatively better placed than many other parts of the country and world, but as someone who has been out of work myself in the past, I realise if you are one of those out of work, then it is 100 per cent of a problem.
Our town is home to many leading national and global companies and in the last year we have seen a number of household brand names open offices and facilities locally, but still finding the right kind of work or getting back in to employment after a long period or because of the age one is, may be difficult.
That is why next Friday (September 27th) I am holding a dedicated Crawley Jobs Fair which will take place at the Civic Hall between 10am and 3pm. The event, which is free of charge, is designed to allow residents of all ages an opportunity to meet and speak with local employers. Having liaised closely with Job Centre Plus, local businesses, and local firms to facilitate the Fair which will showcase Crawley’s most successful businesses, offer careers advice and match prospective employers with potential employees, I believe that this is a fantastic opportunity for local businesses and residents alike.
Over the past three years our town has seen thousands of new private sector jobs created, large multi-national companies re-locating to Crawley, a new university presence, apprenticeship numbers up by 89 percent and higher education enrolments up from the disgracefully low 17 per cent rate. Indeed, for every one job lost in the public sector last year, six new jobs were created across the private sector.
The more than halving of youth unemployment to 3.8 percent since the previous Government and the fall in the unemployment rate across all age groups to below 3 per cent in Crawley, shows both that this Government’s policy of job creation is working but also that there is still yet further to go towards tackling unemployment.
The town’s continued move from strength to strength is highlighted by a recent Santander UK Town & City Business Index report which ranks Crawley as fourth best placed nationally for enterprise, talent, connectivity, wellbeing and cost. Indeed, I am especially delighted that our town is ranked as having the fourth highest economic wellbeing in the UK.
Henry Smith MP