Shropshire jobless figure rises for third consecutive month
Dole queues in Shropshire got longer for the third consecutive month in September, new official figures have shown.
Published
The number of people claiming various forms of unemployment benefit in Shropshire Council's area now totals 1,970, while in Telford & Wrekin the figure is 1,730.
Last month the figures stood at 1,915 and 1,705 respectively, and the latest increase marks the third consecutive increase on the back of a long period of falling numbers.
In Powys, 780 people signed on in September, a fall from 800 the previous month.
Shropshire's numbers reflect a changing national picture, and the unemployment total rose by 10,000 in the quarter to August, to 1.66 million, the official figures showed.
The UK claimant count, including those on Jobseeker's Allowance, also increased last month up by 700 to 776,400. It was the sixth time in the last seven months that the figure has increased.
But employment was up by 106,000 in the latest quarter to almost 32 million, the highest since records began in 1971.
ONS statistician Nick Palmer said: "While there was also a small rise in the headline unemployment level, that was accompanied by more people actively seeking work."
