Union leaders have criticised central government after April’s unemployment figures revealed more than half of Newham’s adults have been jobless for at least six months.

The GMB union has called for a return to the days when the construction and skills industry dominated the capital to get people back in employment.

The most recent statistics showed 50.9 per cent of Newham 11,573 Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants have been unemployed for six months or more.

For London as a whole, the figures were 114,490 of the 231,927 total unemployed claimants.

Paul Hayes, GMB regional secretary said, “Many parts of London were universities for skilled workers which brought this country great wealth by their industrial efforts.

“This massive and irresponsible waste of the human talent and of the skills we need to rebuild our economy shows the complete lack of an industrial policy the nation so badly needs.

“That there are 2.63 million people without jobs across the UK shows the extent to which the government gamble with the economy has failed.

“It is time for the Government to wake up and stop squandering the nation’s skills and talents.”