MORE THAN 600 people have come off the dole in Shropshire and Mid Wales in the last month despite a national hike in unemployment, figures revealed today.

The number of people out of work across the UK is now 2.47 million, up 23,000 between February and April.

But claimants of jobseekers allowance last month fell by 30,900 to 1.48 million, said the Office for National Statistics.

The figures were mirrored in Shropshire and Powys, with 650 fewer people claiming the benefit between April and May.

The total number of claimants fell from 11,447 in April to 10,794 last month.

In Shropshire, the figure dropped by 245, from 4,944 to 4,699 and in Telford and Wrekin it fell by 264 from 4,622 to 4,358.

In Powys the number of claimants fell from 1,881 to 1,737 – a drop of 144.

Inactive

Nationally, long-term and youth unemployment both increased but the most striking figure was a 29,000 rise in people classed as economically inactive to 8.19 million, 21.5 per cent of the working age population.

The figure includes students, people looking after a relative, workers on long-term sick leave, or those who have stopped looking for jobs.

The number of people in the long-term sick category rose by 58,000 to 2.07 million in the latest quarter.

The number of people out of work for more than a year increased by 85,000 to 772,000 in the three months to April, while unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds rose by 11,000 to 926,000.

But the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said today increasing numbers of employers were planning to increase staff.

Roger Tweedy, the REC’s director of research, said: “There are increasingly positive signs of a gradual upturn in employers’ hiring intentions, probably linked to greater post-election stability and a feeling that a Conservative Government is likely to be best for future job creation.”

Other data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the number of full-time workers fell by 56,000 while part-timers rose by 61,000.

By Business Editor Amy Bould