Jobs prospects looking gloomy

JOBS are still at risk in Britain's battered industrial heartlands, despite higher business confidence. While global recovery is good news for export orders and home business remains strong, the jobs shake-out in the North of England looks likely to continue, according to a new survey.

The report, covering the first quarter of this year, will be published on Thursday by the British Chambers of Commerce. It will show that long-awaited relief is finally boosting confidence in the North-West and the North-East. But the jobs scene is set to worsen, with more employers planning redundancies and lay-offs than during the last quarter of 2001.

Director-general David Lennan said firms were cutting jobs as a way of staying competitive. He urged Chancellor Gordon Brown to use his Budget on Wednesday 'to help industry sustain growth by encouraging manufacturers to invest and innovate'.