Shropshire jobless figure falls for second month running
Dole queues in Shropshire got shorter in December as the number of people claiming unemployment benefit fell for the second successive month.
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows there were 1,890 people claiming various forms of benefit in Shropshire Council's area, down from 1,925 the month before.
Telford & Wrekin also experienced a decline, falling from 1,715 to 1,685.
The figures reflect a second successive month of declining joblessness, following on from five months of increases.
However, January can often see an increase in unemployment because of temporary workers taken on over Christmas leaving their roles, so the trend may be reversed when the current month's figures are released in mid-February.
In Powys, 800 people were out of work in December, the figures show, which was actually an increase from the 775 people on the dole in November.
Across the West Midlands, the overall unemplyoment rate fell between September and November, dropping by 7,000 to 161,000.
Nationally, unemployment has plunged to its lowest total for more than a decade, but the number of people in work has also fallen.
The jobless total was 1.6 million in the quarter to November, down by 52,000 on the previous three months to its lowest since early 2006.
