Unemployment down in South East

This month’s figures from the Office for National Statistics have seen employment rise to 4.4 million, a rise of 18,000 people.

In Hastings and St Leonards, there are 332 fewer claimants of Jobseekers Allowance and Universal Credit, meaning a fall of 19 per cent from last year.

The claimant count in Rother is down by 168, a drop of 23 per cent.

And across the South East, there were 14,400 less benefits claimants – a 19 per cent decrease.

Hastings and Rother Jobcentre Plus manager Bruce Campbell said: “I think there’s some really goo dstuff going in Hastings and Bexhill with the employment rise since last year.

“In Hastings and St Leonards, we are working with local employers for traineeships and apprenticeships to give people the right skills to work in this area.

“And our work experience programme is going from strength to strength.

“We’ve been really successful with volunteer workers who have been away from the labour market and businesses for recruitment.

“In terms of apprenticeships for people aged 18-24, we are working hard to make sure they are the right ones for local people.”

The employment rate for the UK has risen to a new record high of 73.6 per cent.

The number of people in unemployment has fallen below 1.8million in the UK for the first time since 2008.

The claimant count across the country stands at 796,200 and is down 159,800 since this time last year.

Work and Pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: “This is a fantastic set of figures, which show more people in work than ever before and a strong growth in wages.

“That is a credit to British business, and a credit to the hardworking people of this country.

“Alongside this, unemployment has fallen to the lowest level since 2008, and long-term unemployment has dropped by a staggering quarter over the last year.

“The South East has one of the lowest unemployment rates of any UK region, at 4.1 per cent.

“This positive picture is replicated up and down the country, and demonstrates that this one nation government is delivering a society with opportunity and security for all at its heart.”

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