Healthy outlook on South Holland jobs front as unemployment falls

In August 2016, 635 people were registered as actively looking for work, a fall of 35 from the same month last year.

Meanwhile, those aged 18-24 claiming out-of-work benefit went down from 185 in August 2015 to 170 this year, down by 8.1 per cent.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “The trends are looking better and healthier for Lincolnshire compared to the UK as a whole for which the drop in the claimant count, year-on-year, was 2.6 per cent.

“But for the whole of Lincolnshire, there was a 11.3 per cent drop which shows that the county’s job market is pretty strong at the moment.

In South Kesteven, including Bourne and the Deepings, unemployment during the period fell by 11.7 per cent from 1,110 to 980, while Boston Borough, which covers Kirton, Swineshead and Wyberton, went down from 670 to 610 or 8.95 per cent.

The number of 18 to 24-year-claimants in South Kesteven and Boston Borough Council areas dropped by 35 and ten respectively.

The spokesman said: “Over the last year, we’ve seen a really healthy drop in the claimant count and the current figure for Lincolnshire is 6,455, compared to 7,280 for August 2015.

“But even healthier is the trend for the 18-24s group, people whom the Government is making every effort to help with apprenticeships and where Lincolnshire leads the UK where the fall was 7.6 per cent between August 2015 and last month.

“But for Lincolnshire, the 18-24s’ group claimant count fell by 13.6 per cent or 260 and so things are looking very buoyant in the county.”