Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams has called for the adoption of new policies to create meaningful, local jobs and voiced concerns over Labour's latest welfare reform proposals arguing that these plans pose more problems than solutions, particularly in Wales.

Labour have announced proposals that would see long-term unemployed individuals - those out of work for more than 24 months - lose their benefits unless they accepted a government-provided job for six months, a temporary solution that fails to tackle the root causes of unemployment.

Mr Williams added that Labour's strategy of adopting Tory rhetoric to gain a short-term hit was a cynical move and called for the implementation of progressive policies as offered by Plaid Cymru to create thousands of local jobs and apprenticeships.

Mr Williams said:

"Plaid Cymru's vision of creating thousands of meaningful jobs and apprenticeships is the most effective way of tackling economic decline and stopping the slide back into recession.

"There is very little difference between the Tory and Labour mottos - "strivers and shirkers" and "working or training, not claiming" - and the reality is that both parties are ignoring the root cause of long-term employment.

"Plaid Cymru recently secured thousands of apprenticeships in Wales as part of a Budget deal with the Welsh Government, and is pushing a new procurement policy that would create 50,000 jobs through sourcing public sector contract domestically.

"Real work and training are what is needed, not temporary workfare schemes to take people off unemployment figures for six months.

"These plans are not fully formed. What type of jobs will they be? How will people be trained for them? Will this take jobs away from other people?

"There are specific questions in Wales as well. Where will these jobs come from in areas such as Merthyr and the Gwent Valleys where unemployment is already high? What about areas where there are very few private sector jobs available?

"Wales needs job-creating levers to improve our economy, not hand-outs and workfare. That's why the powers recommended by the Silk Commission must be implemented as soon as possible."