Energy plans may help tackle unemployment

Jobs may be created for thousands of skilled workers who have previously been made redundant, under new energy plans announced by the government.

A report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said that the government's plans for the UK's future energy supplies will help to create thousands of green jobs for workers who have been struggling to get credit due to unemployment and job losses.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "The many thousands of skilled workers who have been made redundant in recent months will now get the chance to move across into new green jobs."

The Department of Energy & Climate Change announced plans to overhaul the energy system and generate more energy from renewable sources in the UK this week.

While official figures show that unemployment is on the increase, the TUC said that the government's plans are likely to create half a million jobs and make the UK less reliant on overseas energy supplies.