Yorkshire jobless tally rises despite national fall

THE number of people out of work in Yorkshire has risen by 14,000 in the three months to November to reach a total of 239,000.

The figures for the region contrast with national data that reveals unemployment fell for the first time in almost two years and fewer people claimed jobseeker's allowance.

Across the UK, the number of people out of work in the three months to November was cut by 7,000 to 2.46 million, although the rate remained unchanged at 7.8%.

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The claimant count fell for the second month in a row in December, down by 15,200 to 1.61 million, the biggest monthly fall since April 2007.

In Yorkshire, the unemployment rate was 9.1% - one of the worst in the country behind the North East at 9.8%, the West Midlands at 9.6% and London at 9.4%. In these regions, close to one in 10 of the population of working age is without a job.

The number of unemployed people in the UK is more than half a million higher than a year ago, the data from the Office for National Statistics showed.

Other figures revealed a 16,000 fall in the number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work to 927,000, a jobless rate of almost 20%.

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But even nationally, the news was not all good, with the number of people in work falling by 14,000 over the latest quarter to 28.9 million, the lowest figure since last summer.

Long-term unemployment - those out of work for more than a year - increased by 29,000 to 631,000, the highest figure since 1997.

Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "The jobs market is still tough for a lot of people, but the drop in unemployment and youth unemployment is very welcome. It means 450,000 fewer people are out of work than everyone expected last spring."