Fewer Notts unemployed claiming benefits

The number of people out of work and claiming unemployment benefit has fallen according to new statistics released this month.
STOCK: job centre plus sign.STOCK: job centre plus sign.
STOCK: job centre plus sign.

There were 520 fewer Jobseekers’ Allowance claimants across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire than there were in October, the figures from the Office for National Statistics show.

Nottinghamshire, including Nottingham, saw an overall reduction of 130, from 14,000 to 13,870 across the county.

Compared to a year earlier, the number of claimants across the three counties fell 1,060 in November from 30,085 to 29,025.

Despite a small fall of 10,263 for the three months to the end of October compared with the three months to the end of July, the number of people in work continues to rise year on year.

There has been an increase of 42,004 people in work across the East Midlands in the three months to the end of October 2016 from 2,243,975 in the same quarter in 2015 to 2,285,979 this year.

Scott Knowles, chief executive at East Midlands Chamber, said: “These figures are better than we’d anticipated given all the recent negativity over the impacts of Brexit. They show that business in the East Midlands remains robust in the face of uncertainty.

“There may be turbulent waters ahead, of that there can be little doubt, and there will be inflationary pressures that will negatively impact the jobs market, but there is also little doubt that East Midlands businesses are continuing to drive the national economy.

“The Government must recognise the contribution this region is making and ensure it does all it can to reduce the doubt business faces.”