bigglesworth

So the answer is you cannot find anywhere with a better record of job creation.
Which you also confirm is accelerating at a truly remarkable pace.

Thank you.

roaringmouse

I haven't looked. You are the one who says when unemployment in the UK is reduced by 4,000 in a month that the UK is the envy of the world. Don't be silly now, I have not said anything of the sort. I quoted an article which said unemployment had reduced by 24,000 - not making any comment or opinion on that, except to point out that the same article highlights a very serious issue of underemployment.

As you want to compare with another country, let's look at the USA.

October 2009 - USA: 10%; UK: 7.7%
July 2013 - USA: 7.3%; UK: 7.7%

Yes, I can see just from those figures that the reduction rate of unemployment in the UK is the envy of the world..

Sally Redux

I still think the answer to the original question as posed is "no". It is not as bad as the hyperbolic descriptions of boarded-up shops, roaming knife gangs, bodies piling up in A&E or old people's homes, Sharia law, you name it.

SultanOfSwing

There are a lot of boarded up shops in my old home town, as competition from nearby shopping centres, Belfast's city centre shopping and the ridiculous rates in the town for buildings has pushed away a lot of the old businesses.

Quite sad, really

Belfast's full of nationalists as well. NI sucks these days

Sally Redux

Yeah that's crazy! We might have considered a job in NI if not for that.

roaringmouse

Not sure where those things came in the original question on this thread. I think shops closing down was mentioned part way in by the OP, but not the other things you mention?

SultanOfSwing

I've actually reached the point where I've ruled out moving back to the UK now because of it. I'd only want to live on the mainland now, and unless my parents moved there as well, it would render a move rather pointless if we still have to travel to see them

Sally Redux

Maybe the nutters have done you a favour if you feel more settled where you are now

chris955

Exactly, as most have said the answer is very definite NO, it is nowhere near as bad as the OP has been led to believe. Confidence up, unemployment down, manufacturing up. Its all looking good.

robin1234

Definitely agree. Sharia Law is an example of the DM style pot stirring. Nothing wrong with establishing Sharia Courts, many countries have a long tradition of courts for different communities with family law jurisdiction, etc. Israel has always had Sharia Courts, for instance, because Israel has a large Muslim population. But, mention setting up Sharia Courts in the popular media in the US or UK and the low-information section of the population assume that convicted shoplifters are going to get their hands hacked off in the market square etc.

SultanOfSwing

Maybe. I'd still like the place to be recognisable when I visit though.

That's one part of it though. For a returning ex-pat of employment age there are a few considerations that can make a move back less than ideal.

From my point of view it's a two-part problem for a theoretical return (republican Belfast chavs notwithstanding). There's the earnings requirement for the spouse visa, which means I have to earn a salary over £10K/yr more than I earned when I was working there. The problem being, even if I could get reinstated at my old grade in the civil service, I'd still be falling short by almost ten grand. I have no degree and no real transferrable skills since accounting in the US and UK is different. Given I earn twice as much here and then some than I could realistically expect in the UK - for me, that outweighs any and all of the many good and wonderful things that I could enjoy if we did move to England, for example.

chris955

Agreed, we had the same crap from the gutter press in Australia carrying on about those Muslims wanting to bring Sharia Law to the country as if it would somehow replace the current judicial system, the problem is the bogan element lap it all up and gives them something to shout about.

roaringmouse

The answer is neither a definite NO (not sure why you feel the need to capitalize that), nor is it a definite yes.

The answer is dependent on numerous factors, including stage of life and situation you find yourself in once you have returned. Not everyone has won the Australian property lottery and can spend all day at home breeding reptiles or whatever you're doing with them.

bigglesworth

As you very well know, and as I alluded to in my earlier post, the lower rate of unemployment in the USA is entirely due to huge numbers simply stopping looking for work. The only statistic that matters is the number and percentage of people in work.

To refresh your memory - UK 73.6 percent labour force participation. USA 63.2 percent. Despite the higher rate of growth in the population.

Sally Redux

Indeed.
Isn't the requirement 18,600 or something similar? I would have thought a civil service job would pay that.

8,000 a year would be incredibly low nowadays.