Whatever your thoughts on the public versus private sector debate in Wales the news from the Wales Audit Office last Friday that 21,000 public sector jobs are expected to be lost by 2014/5 as a result of the UK Government’s cuts is more grim news for the Welsh economy at a time when Welsh unemployment already stands at 9%, job creation in Wales was negative in the last quarter and JSA claims have risen for the last three months in a row.
But it also highlights the big gaps that will be left because of a lack of job creation in alternative employment outside the public sector in lots of towns and cities around Wales.
Even if we had a Welsh Government that wanted to try and reboot and re-balance the Welsh economy to create jobs and wealth it would be a bumpy rise and take a generation or so to start bearing fruit and the report from the Welsh Audit Office could have been the start of a wider debate on what sort of economy we wanted, how we deliver public services and what type of private sector we want, but it won’t happen despite the fact things will never change if we don’t at least have the debate.
Sadly it will be used by the Labour Government and the three opposition parties in Cardiff Bay for some cheap point scoring and I told you so’s in the months and years ahead as the fallout from the cuts continues to hit their constituents which is a shame as this is an opportunity to reshape the debate and prove that welsh politics isn't stick in a 1980’s time warp.Any source
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