Fall in Devon JSA claimants is double national average

The number of Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) claimants in Devon fell by 206 between February and March 2016, a fall of 5.5 per cent.

The drop is more than double the fall for the UK over the same period, which is 2.2 per cent.

3,718 people in Devon were claiming JSA at the end of March.

All of Devon's districts saw falls in claimants, the largest being in Teignbridge where JSA  fell by 65 claimants.

The second largest decrease was within North Devon, which fell by 40 claimants, followed by Torridge at 38 claimants fewer.

The claimant rate - the proportion of the county's working age population - now ranges between 0.7 per cent in East Devon and South Hams, to 1.2 per cent in Torridge.  This compares with the UK rate currently standing at 1.6 per cent.

The number of claimants aged 24 and under also fell overall, with a drop of 55 younger claimants across Devon between February and March 2016.

All Devon's districts, with the exception of Exeter and East Devon, saw falls in claimants aged 24 and under.

In Exeter, younger JSA claimants rose by 5, while the figure remains unchanged in East Devon.

Devon County Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, the Council's Cabinet Member with responsibility for Economy and Growth, said:

"Once again we see significant falls in Devon's JSA claimants across all districts, even in areas with historically high claimant rates, such as Torridge.

"The fall in claimants aged 24 and under is great to see, although we recognise that more needs to be done to improve employment prospects for all Devon's residents.

"We continue to work closely with local businesses and educational institutions focusing on schemes which aim to boost productivity and upskill our workforce.

"Our Enterprise in Schools grant is doing great work, encouraging greater collaboration between business and education - nurturing entrepreneurial spirit within our schools.

"In addition, Connecting Devon and Somerset, along with our recently launched broadband voucher scheme, is delivering faster, more reliable connectivity to some of our worst served residents and businesses, helping to boost productivity and our rural economy."