TUC predicts 14-year woe

If the private sector continues to create jobs at the same rate that it has over the last decade, it will take more than 20 years in some parts of Britain to make up for the jobs lost in the recession, a report by the union organisation revealed.

More than 1.3 million private-sector jobs have disappeared since the second quarter of 2008.

With a 10 per cent cut in public-sector employment looming, around 2.2 million private-sector jobs will need to be created to get the labour market back to pre-recession levels.

The report warned that this could take between 14 and 24 years.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "When 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.

"Spending cuts will cause further private-sector job losses, not just because the state will buy fewer goods and services, but those who lose their jobs will stop spending too."

At next week's conference in Manchester, the TUC will launch a campaign pushing for a fairer strategy that has economic growth and jobs as its top priorities.

"Even if the private sector does better than in the past, the spending cuts will condemn us to high unemployment for the foreseeable future," Mr Barber warned.

Unite union joint leader Tony Woodley accused ministers of being "hell-bent" on throwing thousands of workers on the dole, hampering long-term economic recovery and decimating public services.

"When exports, manufacturing and services are faltering, the public sector is left holding the economic line," he said.

The TUC analysis of Office of National Statistics figures found that it could take Yorkshire, the Humber and the north-west up to 24 years to return to pre-recession job levels.

The West Midlands has seen no private-sector employment growth over the last decade and the mining and quarrying sectors suffered the biggest proportional fall in employment, losing 15 per cent of the workforce in less than two years.