The Assembly gets ProActive...too little too late?

As the number of redundancies on my Job Loss Map tips 10,000, the Welsh Assembly announces:
"100 staff at the Japanese-owned automotive component manufacturer, Shimizu, based in Welshpool, could receive up to £2,000 of funding per individual for training and a wage subsidy of £2,000 each"

It's part of the new £48m ProAct scheme which aims to help employers keep their work force while orders drop-off. While they're not needed for their normal roles they'll be trained in up-to-date skills so that when orders pick up again the company will be well placed to meet demand.

Unfortunately the new programme is too late for the 500 steelworkers at Corus in Llanwern who learnt their fate a fortnight ago, the 200 workers at Sun-Juice who got confirmation of theirs today, or the Hoover workers who will get confirmation of theirs in the next couple of weeks, but it will be interesting to see if this is enough to protect the jobs in Welshpool, and indeed elsewhere when it's rolled out.

Ironically, today also saw Fforwm, the body representing Further Education colleges in Wales, claim that a £3m cut in Assembly funding will put 450 jobs at risk. So while 100 manufacturers in Welshpool will be offered training and job protection, the very people providing that training could face redundancy themselves.

One hand other, give and take...?

Job Loss Map

Seems to be a lot of talk about South Wales, and Cardiff in particular, being protected from the recession by the public sector.

While it's true the large number of Local Government, NHS, University, and Quango employees in Cardiff are largely safe, there have still been a number of less high-profile redundancies across the region.

To see for yourself, check out the map below. It's a work in progress but nonetheless it shows just how badly the area's been affected. If anyone spots any that I've missed out please feel free to email me and I'll make the changes asap.

(ps. The map seems to work a lot better in Firefox browsers)

Rhodri Morgan urged to help save jobs

While yesterday's announcements by Credit Suisse, HSBC and Halfords should have only a limited impact in South Wales, an announcement is expected later this week on the future of 10 HMRC offices in Wales.

Among those likely to be affected are offices in Brecon, Bridgend, Merthyr and Pontypool (...EU Objective One areas).

In anticipation of this announcement PCS Regional Organiser Jeff Evans has written to Rhodri Morgan saying...

"“We urge WAG to do everything it can to press the case for the retention of these offices and to avert a potentially calamitous decision to close them.

Many of these offices are based in some of our most deprived communities.

The impact of the office closures will be felt more widely than the individuals employed there. It will also impact on local businesses and services at a difficult time.

It is perplexing that a UK Government department should be removing Government jobs from our poorest communities in contrast to your Government, which is doing the reverse.”