Rise in workforce ‘is good news’

Tuesday 4th October 2005, 12:00AM BST.

JERSEY’S workforce has grown for the first time in six years despite a reduction in the public sector.

The Island workforce grew by 550 in the 12 months leading to June 2004, prompting claims of economic recovery from Economic Development Committee president Deputy Gerald Voisin.

Deputy Voisin called the figures published today ‘the good news we’ve been waiting for’ following last month’s announcement that the rate of economic decline had slowed to one per cent.

He said: ‘We have got to be realistic and accept that all we are seeing is certain sectors of the economy going back up towards the level they were at some years ago.

‘Financial services are still below what they were three years ago, but this is a good first step.’

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