The current jobs crisis facing Inverclyde has gone on for over a year now – and it is only getting worse.

This week the Telegraph revealed that more employees in the healthcare and insurance firm Cigna’s Greenock site are set to lose their jobs as a result of cuts.

They have reportedly been given the choice either to apply for other roles within the organisation – which they are in no way guaranteed to get – or accept a redundancy package.

READ MORE: Fears for long-term future of Greenock call centre as more jobs face the axe

This follows the cutting of 30 roles at the site in 2020 – and it is yet another wave in the rapid flow of jobs leaving the community in recent years.

For over a year now, I have been clear: our area’s jobs crisis cannot go on.

It has left far too many families uncertain of where their money will come from, and it is bad for our local economy.

As I have stated time and again, urgent government investment is needed to turn things around here.

I therefore welcome the UK Government’s recent confirmation, as reported in the Telegraph, that it will be investing £20 million into Greenock over the next ten years.

The money is part of the government’s Long-Term Plan for Towns project, which will bring a total of almost £1.4 billion in funding to communities across Scotland.

READ MORE: Greenock's £20m share of Scottish 'towns funding' is officially confirmed

And it has the potential to go some way towards stemming the flow of jobs leaving our area.

But while the UK Government has confirmed support for Inverclyde, the Scottish Government has yet to make any direct financial commitments in our area.

With people here going through a crisis that is only getting worse, this is simply not good enough.

The Scottish Government must do more to relieve the pressure that the crisis has put on working people and families in Inverclyde.