Jobless trend continues downwards as area rate plummets by 14 per cent

Latest figures from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) showed the number of people out of work and claiming either Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Universal Credit in South Holland between March and April was 650, down by 105 on the same period last year.

The reduction of 14 per cent was compared to a Lincolnshire average of 9.1 per cent and a DWP spokesman said: “Over 50 per cent of people who make a claim for benefits will have moved off them within 13 weeks.

“This represents a substantial turnover of people claiming benefits.”

The spokesman added that an 18 per cent drop in the number of 18-24-year-olds claiming JSA or Universal Credit, down by 30 between March and April this year compared to the same period in 2015, was “particularly encouraging”.

In the Boston area, which includes Fosdyke, Frampton, Kirton, Sutterton, Swineshead and Wyberton, the number of claimants fell by 75 or 10 per cent over the same period.

Meanwhile, the figure for 18-24s went down by 25 per cent and the spokesman said: “It’s really good news and reflects the value of arranging work experience for people who haven’t had a working pattern in their lives before.

“It’s allowing them to understand what the world of work is like, whilst employers can bring in new skills such as IT, one of the important skills for any workplace.”

Across the East Midlands, almost 2.3 million people were in employment between January and March 2016, a rise of 4,000 compared with the same period in 2015.

Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb said: “More people in work means that more families across the UK are benefiting from the security of a regular wage and the fulfilment that employment brings.”