Public Sector Job Losses Hit Women

The rising tide of unemployment has continued to hit women hard, following a record public sector jobs cull. Representing a significant portion of the public sector workforce, (The TUC report that the share of women working as public servants in the UK has risen by 3% over the past ten years, compared to a 1% increase for men) women have been hit as the number of people employed by the state and town halls fell by 111,000 between March and June to 6.04m. This was the largest drop since quarterly records began in 1999.

In London, female unemployment passed the 1 in 10 mark. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: ‘The rising number of women in work has been a great success story of the last decade. But as childcare and child benefits are cut, vital services including education and health are pared back and women’s job losses mount we risk moving backwards and reducing, rather than improving, women’s opportunities in the workplace’.

Franchising can present women with an opportunity to run their own businesses. Opportunities are available in many different sectors and can be started with relatively little experience, skills and finance. The FranchisingWorks programme, currently piloting in Greater Manchester, offers advice, support and, for the unemployed, funding may also be available. Further information about how to sign up for a workshop to ‘find out more’ can be found here