Stevenson Welcomes SNP Jobs Mini-Manifesto

Jobs are a big issue in Scotland right now. The downturn in the economy means that many people are concerned about what their employment prospects may be in the future.

"click" above to read manifesto

If you’re looking for work or worried about your job security, a re-elected SNP government will do its very best to help you.

When it comes to employment, it’s easy for politicians to make promises, but we're working hard to protect jobs. Since April last year, 46,000 new jobs have been created in Scotland.

That's a good start, but we know there is more to do. So if we’re re-elected, we’ll be putting the jobs agenda at the very heart of our programme for government.

We've funded a record 25,000 Modern Apprenticeship places this year, so young Scots can get on the job training. But that’s just the start.

Our manifesto for Scotland's election contains some other key pledges:

• A fair chance of a job. You’ve a far better chance of getting a job if you have skills and experience. We will deliver a massive 100,000 training opportunities each year for the next five years. That includes keeping the record 25,000 apprenticeships and 50,000 college bursaries.
• A total of 130,000 jobs in the green economy. Renewable energy offers us the chance to re-industrialise Scotland. It’s set to create more work than shipbuilding on the Clyde did when Glasgow was the second City of the Empire.
• A new Small Business Jobs Plan. Our smaller companies are the lifeblood of our economy, and we want to encourage them to take on new staff. We're working with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to develop the right support packages. The FSB estimates this could enable small firms to create 40,000 new jobs.
• Real, practical help for our job creators. We've given Scotland's businesses a competitive edge over companies down south with lower business rates. The savings they make allow them to grow and create new employment opportunities.
• Job security. We've agreed no-compulsory redundancy deals with Scottish government staff to give thousands of workers job security. We will work to extend this right across the public sector.
• New job opportunities in our communities through Community Jobs Scotland. This will create 2,000 new, local jobs.
• Protecting family incomes with the Council Tax frozen until 2016. We know people are worried about their jobs, so we will ease the pressure on family budgets by keeping the Council Tax freeze – a move worth more than £1200 for the average household.