Figures secured by North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell show that the number of people unemployed in the constituency in June 2009 has risen 72% compared with the same period last year.
Commenting on the figures, Sir Menzies said:
“In the last twelve months there has been a sudden, large increase in the number of unemployed people in North East Fife. What’s worse is that these figures are going up month on month, with no sign of improvement.
“What’s happening in North East Fife is happening across the country, often to a much worse degree. Pressure is mounting on those services which help people cope with unemployment but also on the economy in general. Rising unemployment has a knock-on effect across communities and touches everyone.
“Warm words from the Government cannot disguise the fact that unemployment continues to climb and more and more people are suffering hardship as a result.â€
