Figures released today (17 December) by the Office for National Statistics have shown the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) has fallen by 42.2 per cent since November 2013.

Liberal Democrats have welcomed today’s figures which means the number of claimants has fallen for the ninth consecutive month.

Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that unemployment has fallen again nationally.

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In the three months to October, unemployment fell by 63,000. The rate of unemployment stands at 6 per cent, its lowest level in 6 years.

There are 30.8m people in work and 1.7m new jobs have been created since Liberal Democrats entered government.

Locally the statistics show there to be 1,232 claimants in York, a decrease of 86 from last month. The claimant count represents 0.9 per cent of the working population contrasts to the regional average which stands at 2.7 per cent. The figures are also much lower than the national average which is currently 2 per cent.

Today’s figures mean there are 901 less claimants than in November 2013.

The ONS figures also showed youth unemployment levels decrease from 495 to 245 in the past year, a fall of 50.5 per cent since November 2013.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“Today we’ve had another remarkable set of labour market figures, which show that the strong performance of the labour market has been broad based.

“This has led to an almost record share of the UK working age population being in work. In addition we are now seeing rises in average pay growth above inflation, meaning annual real wage rises for many workers.

“However there is still more to be done. Although youth unemployment has fallen in the past year, it remains too high. That is why we will continue to encourage firms to invest in the UK and equip British workers with the skills they need to compete in the jobs market.”

Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said:

“Once again, we have a new record for the number of people in work, which is great news in the run up to Christmas.

“But more than that, today’s earnings figures show that the positive effects of our economic recovery are beginning to show in people’s wage packets.

“There’s a lot more work to do to secure the recovery and to ensure that trend continues. That’s why it’s so important to stick to the balanced plan that has secured the recovery in the next few years, and not allow a lurch away from common sense with Labour or the Tories.

“We have to keep the economy on the path of strong growth, rising employment, low inflation and rising wages so that more and more of the people who have worked so hard to turn the economy around feel the benefit.”

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York Council welcomes fall in number of residents claiming Jobseekers Allowance and benefits

City of York Council has today welcomed figures from the Office for National Statistics and the Department for Work and Pensions which show a reduction in the number of people claiming both Jobseekers Allowance and benefits in the city.

Today’s figures released by the Office for National Statistics have shown that the number of people claiming Jobseekers allowance has fallen for the eighth consecutive month.

The statistics show there to be 1,318 claimants in York, a decrease of 57 from last month.

The claimant count represents 1.0 per cent of the working population contrasts to the regional average which stands at 2.8 per cent.  York has had lower unemployment rates than the rest of the region for over 15 years now

The figures are also much lower than the national average which is currently 2.1 per cent. Today’s figures mean there are 877 less claimants than in October 2013 and that the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance has fallen by 40 per cent in the past year.

York has also seen a fall in the number of 18-24 year olds claiming Jobseekers allowance with today’s figures showing a reduction of 235 over the past year, a fall of 44.3 per cent.

Figures also released today by the Department for Work and Pensions have shown that the number of residents claiming benefits has also fallen. The statistics show the number of claimants in York as of May 2014 is 10,180, a fall of 490 since February.

The claimant count represents 7.6 per cent of the working population in York, which is lower compared to both the regional average (14.4 per cent) and the national average (12.9 per cent).

City of York Council is encouraging jobseekers and residents wanting to improve their skills and qualifications to visit a jobs fair at York Railway Institute on Tuesday 30 September from 10am to 3pm.

The event, which has been organised through partnerships between the council, York Learning, Job Centre Plus and Learning City York aims to bring together local employers to offer advice and the chance to speak face to face to businesses about employment opportunities in the city.
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Jobs growth in UK

Unemployment in York fell to 1.1% in June.

This is down from 1.8% 12 months ago.

Unemployment is now less than North Yorkshire (1.2 %) Yorkshire (3.1%) and Great Britain (2.4%).

Although attention will now switch to the quality of jobs in the City – and maybe concerns about labour shortfalls in areas like care services and retail – effectively the City now has full employment.