Figures continue to show record rates of people in employment

The latest Labour Market Statistics have shown that the number of people in employment in the UK rose by 92,000 over the quarter to 31,854m.

Total UK unemployment decreased by 31,000 over the quarter to 1.584m – the lowest since 1975.

The amount of people claiming JobSeeker’s Allowance in Fareham fell from 480 last year to 425 this year. The number also dropped in Havant with 1,115 people claiming, as opposed to last year’s 1,185.

However the rate of people claiming in Portsmouth grew with 2,305, as opposed to last year’s 2,240. The figure also grew in Gosport with 640 people compared to last year’s 625.

Ed Coomber, work services manager at the JobCentre, said that the rise in claimants was due to changes in the system. He said that despite this, the numbers were still significantly better than they were in 2010, with Portsmouth seeing a 55 per cent improvement on people claiming the benefit.

He said: ‘The important thing is that employment continues to grow and we now have a record 74.6 per cent of the population in employment and the lowest rate of unemployment – just 4.6 per cent.

‘There were 750,000 jobs advertised through the JobCentre yesterday and there were 450 new listings in Portsmouth. There’s a buoyant labour market out there and a lot of opportunity.’

Havant MP Alan Mak said: ‘Falling unemployment in Havant is good news for our economy which is strong and growing.

‘New businesses like Next, Mothercare and Marks and Spencer are coming to Havant and creating jobs, reflecting our attractiveness to big name employers.’