NEARLY half the vacancies available in Chorley Jobcentre paid less than the national insurance threshold of £64 per week, a new survey has revealed.

This means people could not claim statutory sick and maternity pay and contributory jobseeker's allowance and would have their state pensions affected.

A lot would not take people out of the benefit system or meet minimum wage requirements.

Chorley Borough Council recruited the Greater Manchester Low Pay Unit to carry out the survey, which was based solely on vacancies for adult workers - not 16-17-year-olds - available in Chorley Jobcentre on September 10, last year.

The unit also carried out similar surveys the three previous years.

The latest results showed that the number of vacancies advertised continued to increase, but at a slower rate than previous years.

There were 255 local jobs last September compared to 239 in 1997, 198 in 1996 and 132 in 1995.

More than 56 per cent of all the vacancies were part-time.

For the past four years, hotels and catering, care work and shop jobs have together accounted for around half of all advertised jobs in Chorley.

The figures will go before the borough's economic development and tourism sub-committee this evening (Thursday).

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