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London mayor is on the verge of fleshing out plans to tackle a shocking London statistic — the fact that 78,000 people of prime working age are out of a job or not looking for work.

Ed Holder committed to a task force to grapple with the issue in his state-of-the-city address in January. He’s expected to elaborate Friday on his plans for a “London Jobs Now” task force, flanked by members of the panel, including the London Economic Development Corp., Western University, Fanshawe College and the London Chamber of Commerce.

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At the end of last year, despite an unemployment rate near record lows, the number of Londoners between age 25 and 64 not working reached nearly 78,000.

“In terms of solutions, there’s nothing obvious here,” King’s University College demographer Don Kerr said, adding it’s a good idea to bring all the players to the table.

“The scope of the problem isn’t fully appreciated.”

And the “why” is even less clear. Kerr pointed to some possible obstacles — a skills gap, a lack of affordable daycare or of desirable, full-time jobs with good benefits — but admitted he doesn’t have an explanation.