Employment

Employment is a key voter concern, and this has never been truer than in the run up to May 2015. The deep recession, slow recovery and several years of austerity have had severe consequences across the country, with many Londoners disproportionately affected:

• Inequalities in London are getting worse: the poorest 10% of Londoners saw their income decrease by 23% between 2007 and 2010 - compared to a 3% decrease for the richest 10% of Londoners

• Marginalised groups are often particularly disadvantaged in London: the lone parent employment rate in London is 11.8 percentage points below the national average; the equivalent figure for disabled Londoners is 3.3 percentage points.

• Work is no longer a guaranteed route out of poverty in the capital: 57% of adults and children living in poverty in London are in working families.

All the major parties have included employment pledges in their manifestos: for instance, the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all have something to say about increasing apprenticeships.

Employment and the concerns around the scarcity of jobs is also an important factor in other debates, such as those relating to immigration, the EU and the role of the welfare state. But the issues around inequalities in employment and quality of employment opportunities often receive less attention in the political debate.