Job Seeker's Allowance claims rise again

The number of Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants in Devon increased in line with the national trend by 269 claimants between January 2015 and February 2015.

As a proportion of the working age population, Devon claimants increased very slightly from 0.9% in January to 1% in February, which remains one of the lowest rates on record. Devon’s claimant rate still remains far lower than the UK’s which stands at 2.1%, with Devon’s total claimants having fallen by 2,523 claimants (37%) since February 2014.

Six of Devon’s eight districts experienced increases in the number of claimants over the past month, keeping with tradition for January and February as Christmas employment ends and seasonal tourism employment not taking on staff. East Devon and Torridge, however, bucked this trend registering small falls in the number of claimants.

Rates in all of Devon’s Districts remain well below the national average ranging from 0.7% of the workforce in the South Hams to 1.6% in Torridge. Regionally the JSA claimant count rate is below the UK average everywhere, except for Torbay where it stands at 2.5%.

Youth unemployment for Devon and its districts (the number of people aged 24 and under claiming JSA) also increased in line with the national trend.

However, once again the increases are comparatively small (13 claimants on average per district) with the February figure for Devon 41% lower than the same time last year.

Youth unemployment, as a proportion of the working age population in Devon and its districts is still comparatively high however, with 24.8% of all claimants in Devon being under 25, compared with the UK average figure of 23% for February.

Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said: “Increases in the numbers of people claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance are to be expected at this time of year, given the seasonal nature of the Devon Economy. However, we should not be complacent and our continued investment in projects that support high value jobs, including those recently announced as part of the Government’s Growth Deal will help to create year round opportunities. Through our continued focus on helping people into employment, entrepreneurship and training, including apprenticeships, we are working to reduce youth unemployment in Devon."

For a more information on Devon’s economy, and to find the latest JSA figures listed in full, click here and go to 'people' and 'monthly JSA analysis.