There will be a brighter Christmas for thirty families in the Highlands and Islands thanks to the Government's Action Team for Jobs, Scottish Secretary John Reid said today. That means 30 families enjoying a brighter Christmas and a brighter future. Nobody should underestimate the difference finding a job makes to people and their families.
Unemployment has a devastating effect on communities, bringing poverty and despair.
Finding a job changes that and makes a real difference to standards of living and signals increased hope for the future. The number of people in jobs in Scotland is around its highest level for 33 years. But we cannot afford to be complacent because there are still places in Scotland with intolerably high numbers of people out of work. In some areas the cycle of unemployment which persists from generation to generation remains unbroken. This achievement is just the first result from our 4 million investment in the Action Teams for Jobs to help people in four areas across Scotland which experience low employment and high unemployment.