Jobless numbers fall across the South

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show there are 19,258 claiming Job Seekers Allowance in the region in April compared with 19,796 the previous month.

The 2.7 per cent decrease follows a fall of 1.9 per cent in March and bucks the national trend, which saw the claimant count increase by 12,400 to 1.47m, the largest increase in 16 months. Economists were expecting a fall of between 4,000 and 10,000.

But UK unemployment – recorded over a three-month period and based on other measurements beside claimant counts – fell by 36,000 to 2.46m, the second quarterly drop in a row.

The number of jobless 16 to 24-year-olds decreased by 30,000 and the number of people in employment increased.

Employment Minister, Chris Grayling, welcomed the figures: “It’s good news to see unemployment is also going in the right direction and pleasing unemployment has fallen for young people,” he said.

Shadow work and pensions secretary, Liam Byrne, said: “We welcome any glimmer of good news but the figures are a sign we are not out of the woods by a long stretch.

“Ahost of respected business organisations are warning choppy waters are ahead, and this is why we are saying the Tory-led Government needs to do far more to get Britain back to work.”

Economists warned unemployment is likely to head up over the coming months, despite the improvement seen in the latest figures, as the Government’s austerity measures bite. Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, has forecast unemployment to increase to 2.67m by the end of this year.

Number of claimants:

March April

1,630, 1,594

1,254, 1,248

1,489, 1,518 Isle of Wight 3,557, 2,973

1,837, 1,784

5,517, 5,641 Test Valley 1,139, 1,144

947, 930