Job cuts are hitting West Lothian hard

Nov 5 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

JOBLESS people in West Lothian face a bleak future after latest figures released this week show five people are chasing every job in the county.

Unemployment figures in the county reached a 13-year high last month with more people out of work than at any time since August 1996.

West Lothian’s unemployment rate of 4.4 per cent is higher than the Scottish (4.0 per cent) and the British (4.2 per cent) rates with an incredible 4651 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance.

The county’s unemployment rate ranks it joint 10th highest with Falkirk, Fife and Renfrewshire out of all the Scottish local authority areas.

The number of Jobcentre vacancies has shrunk to under 900 giving a ratio of five people chasing every job.

In September, Livingston contact lens manufacturer Bausch and Lomb announced 500 jobs were to go as the company move production to Ireland. The first wave of these job losses is expected to take place before Christmas.

Meanwhile, last week an envelope manufacturer announced plans to shed a third of their workforce at their site in Bathgate.

Eagle Envelopes, based in Whiteside Industrial Estate for the past 24 years, have entered a 30-day consultation period with their workers after a constant decline in sales over the past 18 months.

If no alternative ways of making the savings are found then up to 30 staff could lose their jobs.

Things could get even worse for those employed in the financial sector in West Lothian after the Government announced plans to break up the Lloyds Banking Group.

As part of its bail-out LBG have been ordered to sell Livingston-based internet bank Intelligent Finance, which could threaten the jobs of 300 staff employed by the business.

While acknowledging that unemployment levels had risen considerably in West Lothian executive councillor for development and transport, Martyn Day, said there were small signs of recovery.

He added: “The most recent unemployment figures demonstrate the impact of the recession on individuals and families across West Lothian.

“Like the rest of the UK and Scotland, there are small signs of improvement, but we still have a long way still to go.

“Unemployment levels in West Lothian have grown substantially in the past year and the figures reflect the fact that West Lothian has a relatively young population overall.

“Our employment advisers at the Enterprise Centre will continue to work with our partners to provide support, advice and assistance to those out of work and businesses at this difficult time.”

However, there has been some good news on the job front in the supermarket sector.

Haldanes, a new mid-sized supermarket chain, is opening a store and a regional headquarters in Broxburn.

Their first four stores are opening across the central belt after they acquired them from the Co-op.

Haldanes will be headquartered at Grantham, in Lincolnshire, with an operational base at East Mains Industrial Estate in Broxburn.

And supermarket giant Sainsbury’s announced in September plans to build a 60,000 square foot store on the site of the current Homebase unit at Almondvale South Retail Park, which, if approved could create up to 500 full and part-time jobs.