Unemployment today reached its worst level for almost a decade with more than 1.72 million out of work. The figures delivered a fresh bout of bad economic news for the Government.
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits is now at its highest since 1999.
Unemployment was up nationally by 81,000 from the previous quarter, with the number of jobseeker’s allowance claimants rising for the seventh month in a row in August, by 32,500 to 904,900 - the biggest monthly hike since December 1992.
The Office for National Statistics said the trend on both the claimant count and the wider number of jobless was increasing.
The figures were mirrored in Shropshire and Mid Wales, with 6,444 people claiming the jobseeker’s allowance.
Shropshire saw an increase in the jobless figure of 208, Telford & Wrekin was up by 132 and Powys saw numbers of claimants rise by 78, compared to the previous month.
The biggest hike was in Shrewsbury & Atcham where the jobless total rose from 842 to 904, up by 62.
The number of claimants in Bridgnorth was up 51 from 385 in July to 436 in August, up 29 to 612 in North Shropshire, up 45 in Oswestry to 477 claimants, and South Shropshire saw a rise of 19 to 312.
Nationally, the number of workers in manufacturing continued to fall.
There was also the first fall for more than a year in the UK’s employment level, down by 16,000 to 29.54 million in the three months to July.
3 Comments
I seem to remember some idiot from shrewsbury on here a couple of months ago telling everyone how they should stop being lazy and find work and how easy it is to get employment. I do hope he is reading this article.
Then again - he’s probably signing on now so he wouldnt have time to read this article in his lunch break.
Steve - it is easy to find work however the majority of people on benefits do not want to work for less money than they get in handouts from the Government.
Only 2 months ago a local farmer was bemoaning that no one wanted to pick fruit on his farm and that is why he has to employ Non British persons to work on his farm.
Case Proven
plenty of work out there, if not how come the migrant workers can find it?? , you have to be prepared to work for minimum wage as you have no choice either that or scrounge of the tax payer and prepared to do any type of work even if it is just minimum wage , until you can find something better.