THE JOB market in the South West is lagging behind that of London, new figures claim.

Analysis published by the TUC today (Mon July 6) states that the nation's capital is creating jobs at more than three times the rate of the South West.

Between 2010 and 2014 jobs growth in London was 11.5 per cent. more than twice as fast as the UK as a whole at 5.1 per cent and triple that of the South West at 3.6 per cent.

Only Wales, the North East and the North West experienced slower growth than the South West, the TUC data shows.

The analysis also shows that from 2010 to 2013 London's economic growth was more than twice as fast then the South West, at 14.5per cent compared to 6 per cent in the region.

In 2013 the Sou

TUC South West regional secretary Nigel Costley said: "We need a recovery that works for the whole of the UK, but cuts to infrastructure and services have hit places that are most in need of investment.

"We now have an unbalanced recovery that is too concentrated in London, too dependent on families getting into debt, and too focused on jobs in low-paid service industries.

"The South West and other regions won’t become powerhouses of growth and job creation unless they are powered-up by investment in skills, infrastructure and decent public services – but the Chancellor’s extreme cuts will mean pulling the plug.

"We need a better economic plan that prioritises balanced growth across all of the UK by targeting investment to communities that are most in need of modern infrastructure and more decent jobs."