Rise in youth unemployment in Mansfield

Despite employment statistics showing a year on year increase in employment of almost a third, there has been a slight rise in the claimant count.

In Mansfield and Ashfield there was an overall rise in the number of Jobseekers Allowance claimants of 0.12 per cent.

For young people, the figure grew by 3.1 per cent.

Job Centre Leader Dawn Robinson said: ”There was a traditional spike in July as extra students that could were making claims.

but hundreds of young people in our region have been moved out of the dole queue and into work over the past year.

“The employment rate of 16-24 year olds who have left full time education is the highest in nearly 10 years.

“It has risen above the level before the recession to 73.4 per cent.”

From July 2014 to 2015 there has been a 33.1 per cent drop in young people claiming JSA from Mansfield Job Centre, from 755 to 505.

Overall the claimants over the same period fell by 26 per cent from 2057 to 1965.

A new national campaign has been launched aimed at urging young people to try and get work experience.

Dawn Robinson added: “ he Employment Minister Priti Patel is urging young people to use their summer holidays to boost their employment chances by udertaking work experience .

“She sees that as a vital component of getting a job.

“Two thirds of employers say that work experience is a crucial factor when they hire staff, more so than academic qualifications.” The campaign WEcan will give practical advice about making use of summer holidays and beyond to gain valuable business skills.