UNEMPLOYMENT has rocketed by 30 per cent across South Yorkshire in the last year, new figures reveal - as another Sheffield firm announced job losses.
City-based construction products group SIG, which stands for Sheffield Insulations Group, is closing 65 branches and axing 900 jobs - seven per cent of its workforce - in a bid to cut costs by £25 million.
The Sheffield-based group, which has bases at Sheffield Business Park, Europa View, Tinsley, and Hillsborough Works, Langsett Road, says most of the cuts will affect operations in the UK and Ireland, but some continental European operations will also be hit.
Chief executive Chris Davies said a limited number of head office jobs will go, but job losses in South Yorkshire would be "in the tens rather than the hundreds."
The credit crunch is hitting all sectors with retail and business park developer British Land, which owns Meadowhall in Sheffield, revealing the value of its portfolio has plunged more than 10 per cent.
The shopping mecca, one of the UK's largest retail centres, saw its value drop 7.4 per cent to £1.4bn.
Chairman Chris Gibson-Smith said tough trading conditions would affect prospects for short-term rental growth.
The gloomy news comes as data from the Office of National Statistics shows the total number of people claiming jobseekers' allowance this month in South Yorkshire, north Derbyshire and north Nottinghamshire is 33,131, up 7,709 compared with 12 months ago.
And figures are even worse in some areas, with the number of claimants rising almost 60 per cent in Barnsley East and Mexborough constituency, up 753 to 2,022.
The increase is well above the UK average - nationwide, the number of dole claimants increased 169,320 to 970,279, or 21.1 per cent.
In Sheffield, the worst-affected constituency is Attercliffe, where there are now 1,496 claimants, up 415 - or around 40 per cent - compared with last year.
Dr Spencer Pitfield, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Penistone and Stocksbridge, who released the statistics, said: "Jobs, businesses and livelihoods are at risk. Change is desperately needed.
"Cutting taxes for local firms who create new jobs is one of the ways that we can support our local economy."
Nigel Tomlinson, chief executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, said: "The next year or so is going to prove very challenging and the most difficult aspect of an economic downturn is without doubt the resulting loss of jobs.
"However, Sheffield is well placed to minimise the impact. The city has seen considerable growth over the last 10 years and we can boast a dynamic portfolio of sector leading companies.
"We are encouraging local businesses to continue training staff and maintain a public profile, which will all go to serve those businesses well and help maintain growth when positive markets return.
"The Government has the opportunity to mitigate the situation by listening to businesses with regard to interest rates and tax cuts."
Attercliffe MP Clive Betts calls on Chancellor Alistair Darling to help in Monday's pre-budget announcement: "We should look to the chancellor's package to help small businesses and put money back in the pockets of people on low incomes."
Sheffield Council leader Coun Paul Scriven said: "We are taking action to help the local economy by making Sheffield a better place to do business."
Jobseekers Nov 08
Sheffield total 9,968 (+1,950)
Sheffield Attercliffe 1,496 (+415)
Sheffield Brightside 2,142 (+405)
Sheffield Central 2,765 (+300)
Sheffield Hallam 588 (+131)
Sheffield Heeley 1,720 (+387)
Sheffield Hillsborough 1,257 (+312)
Barnsley total 5,154 (+1,632)
Barnsley Central 1,816 (+502)
Barnsley E and Mex 2,022 (+753)
Barnsley West 1,316 (+377)
Rotherham total 5,010 (+1,343)
Rotherham 1,919 (+425)
Rother Valley 1,598 (+502)
Wentworth 1,493 (+416)
Doncaster 5,677 (+1,347)
Bassetlaw 1,205 (+259)
North Derbys 6,117 (+1,178)
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