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13,000 jobs at NHS at risk vs. 22,000 new jobs in renewable energy(25-Feb-2011)

Job creation and losses is generally a good indicator of how the landscape and micro-economics of a country is changing. This week was yet again one of those weeks where on one hand there were a few that announced redundancies such as NHS and the Ministry of Defence and a few others who announced new jobs such as wind turbine manufacturing and generation in Scotland.
 
As per the GMB union, there are nearly about 13,000 NHS jobs “at risk” of redundancy as the health service starts implementing a huge efficiency and cost cutting programme. If we look at the whole health service in total, the figures are more alarming. More than 165,172 jobs are predicted to be at risk, this equates to almost about 2,000 people per week losing their jobs. In terms of other public sector job losses which exclude the health service, GMB says that the number could be as high as 184,073 jobs at risk. Just these two numbers put together, number of new unemployed can be at staggering levels of more than 340,000 in the next few months.

On a brighter side, about 22,000 new jobs are predicted to be created in Scotland in renewable energy and low carbon industry in the next four years. The SNP made the pledge recently that they would do everything to deliver these jobs – the activities range from wind turbine manufacturing, to science and innovation. The SNP leader Alex Salmond has also announced 500 guaranteed apprenticeships in the energy sector. There are a number of new investors in the renewable and low carbon economy which includes the likes of Mitsubushi and Gamesa.

Kesh Thukaram of Best Insurance added, “We are witnessing unprecedented changes in the UK economy and as we sail through the un-chartered waters, it is crucial we adopt a belt and braces approach, there has been never a more crucial time in the recent past for people to have a good redundancy protection policy”

Best Insurance specialises in protection insurance and has a wide range of market leading income protection, protection insurance and redundancy insurances.