Figures recently released by the Department for Work and Pensions show that unemployment has fallen again in Watford, this month showing that 43 people have moved off Job Seekers Allowance and into work.
Locally, I think this is because of great initiatives that the Job Centre is running, like their recent Christmas jobs job fair and the new employer suite on site for interviews. This is also because new companies are moving into Watford, for example, on 13th November I official opened the new Corporate Head Offices on Clarendon Road of TIG who moved here from Finchley. In the last 12 months TIG, an Internet and cloud-based solutions company, has experienced such good growth that they needed to move into a new purpose-built building.
At the opening of TIGs new offices, I said: “It is fantastic that TIG is moving to Watford after expanding in recent months. I am always so pleased when new companies move to our area creating jobs and further economic growth. Watford is absolutely the best place to do business, with good transport links which are soon to become even better, a variety of office space and excellent local amenities as well as a top class workforce.”
Likewise, just a few weeks ago I went to visit InSinkerator in Croxley Business Park, who again have had to expand into new offices, employing more people and adding great value to the local economy. In a different industry altogether, Tarboush Lebanese restaurant has created a new upstairs space too due to their popularity.
Nationally, wages are up 3% this year and with 73.7% of the working age population in employment, our employment rate has never been higher. There are nearly 2.1 million new jobs and three quarters of these are full-time jobs, on top of this there are also 700,000 job vacancies at the moment.