Scottish election 2021: Labour unveil plans to create jobs for under 25s
- Published
Scottish Labour have outlined their plans to help people without jobs get back to work after the pandemic.
A new scheme will be open to under 25s without jobs, those over 25 who have been unemployed long term, and to all disabled people who do not have jobs.
The "jobs for recovery guarantee" includes six months of training and employment opportunities across the public, private and voluntary sectors.
Applicants would be matched to local opportunities in their chosen sector.
They would range from care and construction to administration and ground maintenance.
Scottish Labour's leader Anas Sarwar said the policy was part of a £1.2bn economic recovery plan, which would include the "biggest job creation scheme in the history of devolution".
He said there were only months left to act to prevent a "national jobs emergency" which "could see hundreds of thousands of people facing a future out of work".
"This is a guarantee for every young person or unemployed person to have a job and for everyone who needs it to get access to paid training.
"It is the biggest job creation scheme in the history of devolution - but it is the scale of ambition that is necessary to battle the crisis."
SCOTLAND'S ELECTION: THE BASICS
What elections are happening? On 6 May, people across Scotland will vote to elect 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). The party that wins the most seats will form the Scottish government. Find out more here.
What powers does the Scottish Parliament have? MSPs pass laws on most aspects of day-to-day life in Scotland, such as health, education and transport. They also have control over some taxes and welfare benefits. Defence, foreign policy and immigration are decided by the UK Parliament.
How do I vote? Anyone who lives in Scotland and is registered to vote is eligible, so long as they are aged 16 or over on the day of the election. You can register to vote online, external.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross also raised the issue of Scotland's economic recovery on Tuesday.
Politicians had to work with businesses to avoid a "looming jobs crisis".
He said some Covid restrictions should be lifted early, on the 26 April rather than 17 May - including increasing capacity limits for places of worship, extending the opening times of hospitality venues, reopening the likes of cinemas and bingo halls and allowing some events to go ahead.
He said his party had supported the bulk of the Scottish government's measures to tackle Covid, but there was evidence to support more optimism in the unlocking - while still remaining cautious.
"The success of the UK vaccine scheme and far more positive public health data means we can look to safely speed up Scotland's reopening dates," Mr Ross said.
Help for carers
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon outlined measures to support carers and tackle fuel poverty while campaigning.
She said if re-elected the SNP would double the carers allowance supplement this year, worth £460.
The carers allowance, she said, would also be replaced with the "carers assistance payment", adding an extra £10 a week for those caring for more than one person.
"We'll also replace the UK government's unreliable £25 cold weather payment which only pays out if in certain weather conditions, with a £50 annual payment," she added.
The Scottish Greens unveiled a pledge to upgrade the rail network
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Scottish Greens' co-leader Patrick Harvie highlighted his party's pledge to upgrade Scotland's railways.
He said plans for a £22bn package of improvements would provide better public transport links and cut emissions - as well as creating 16,800 jobs.
The plans would improve inter-city services, upgrade regional links and open new stations across the country, Mr Harvie said, adding that investing in the transport network was "a must".
He continued: "Successive governments have favoured roads over railways, but the Scottish Greens recognise the urgent need to reverse that."
And the Scottish Liberal Democrats' Willie Rennie visited a farm in Lauder in the Scottish Borders, where he talked about his party's agriculture and rural policies.
He called for consumers to eat more local food, to support Scottish farmers and cut the distance food is transported to help the environment.
Mr Rennie said: "Scottish Liberal Democrats want a system that delivers climate-friendly farming alongside the critical work of producing food and providing rural employment. We saw how important food security is at the beginning of the pandemic."
He added that if Scotland was to recover from the pandemic, every sector had to be "running at full capacity", and not be held back by "more barriers, red tape and uncertainty".
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PODLITICAL: Updates from the campaign