TUC: Unemployment is here to stay

It could take 14 years for the private sector to create enough jobs to return employment to pre-recession levels, according to new research from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

In some regions, it could take as long as two decades to make up all the posts lost during the economic downturn if the rate of job creation remains the same, the research revealed.

Since the second quarter of 2008, which was when workforce jobs peaked at more than 31 million, more than a million private sector roles have been lost.

The TUC says around 2.2 million jobs need to be created in the sector to counter the ten per cent cut in public sector employment which is due.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "We may now be out of recession but this has yet to work through to any significant job creation.

"When the spending cuts start to bite and public sector job losses begin in earnest the government tells us that the private sector can make up the difference. But there are already many people who have lost private sector jobs chasing every vacancy."

Recent research by Experian and the BBC revealed that the north-east of England is the least resilient to economic shocks.