Yorkshire jobless total down by 20,000 - but 9% still out of work

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that a total of 247,000 people were unemployed in the region between July and September. The region’s unemployment rate was 9.1% and saw a drop of 7.5% during the period.

Nationwide, unemployment fell to its lowest total for over a year, although there was an increase in the number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance.

The jobless total dropped by 49,000 in the quarter to September to 2.51 million, the lowest figure since last summer. But the so-called claimant count jumped by 10,100 last month to 1.58 million, the highest since July, and the biggest monthly rise since last September.

The number of people in work increased by 100,000 in the latest quarter to just under 30 million, a rise of over half a million over the past year.

Other figures from the ONS showed that long-term unemployment - those out of work for over a year - increased by 12,000 in the quarter to September to 894,000, while 443,000 people have been jobless for over two years, up by 21,000.

Part-time employment increased by 49,000 to 8.1 million, close to a record high, while there were 51,000 more people in full-time jobs, at 21.4 million.

Unemployment among women fell by 10,000 to 1.09 million, and by 39,000 among men to 1.43 million. Unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds fell by 49,000, which accounts for the total fall in Wednesday’s jobless figures.

Employment Minister Mark Hoban said: “It’s good news to see yet another increase in the number of people in work and to see unemployment fall again. The fall in youth unemployment is particularly welcome, although we’re not complacent about the scale of the challenge still facing us.

“We’re working hard to help the long-term unemployed back into a job. That’s why we’ve committed to supporting the hardest-to-help people over a two-year period through the Work Programme so that we can help them overcome their barriers to work and get them into sustainable jobs.”