Darling promises ?2bn for new jobs

22/04/2009

Alistair Darling is to promise new government investment of £2 billion in job creation schemes when he announces today's budget, it has been reported.

It is expected the chancellor will attempt to curtail rising unemployment by revealing guaranteed jobs or training for all 16 to 14-year-olds.

Sources close to the Treasury said Mr Darling hopes to concentrate his spending on projects that help develop the infrastructure, which firms need to be successful, reports the Guardian.

The chancellor is also expected to reveal additional money (£270 million) for the Social Fund - which provides interest-free loans for people claiming benefits.

Today's budget is to be one of the most important in recent times - according to the Office for National Statistics, unemployment has reached 2.1 million and the number of people claiming from the state has risen to 1.46 million.

The business secretary Peter Mandelson said the government hopes to remove barriers "which hold business back".

He commented: "To succeed in this hi-tech, low-carbon economy of the future, to drive growth and to secure more high-value jobs in the UK, we need to act."

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