YOUTH unemployment in Hampshire has dropped by up to half in some parts of Hampshire.

Thousands of 18-24-year-olds have come off unemployment-related benefits since a dramatic rise during the pandemic.

The latest figures for the end of August showed the number of young people in Southampton claiming universal credit because of unemployment fell by 655, or 29 per cent, to 1,621.

In the New Forest, the total was down 50 per cent, 417, to 419. The figure for Test Valley also fell by half to 292.

Winchester saw the figure fall by 44 per cent, 244, to 308. In Eastleigh, the fall was 38 per cent, 238, to 395, and in Fareham, the fall was 44 per cent, 248, to 320.

The total in all age groups claiming universal credit because of unemployment in Southampton fell 22 per cent, 2,607, to 9,375.

The claimant count in all age groups was 2,803 in the New Forest (down 1,580, 36 per cent); 2,088 in Winchester (down 732, 26 per cent); 2,280 in Eastleigh (down 979, 30 per cent); 1,953 in Test Valley (down 938, 32 per cent); and 1,800 in Fareham (down 894, 34 per cent).

Robert Sherman, senior employment and partnership manager with the Department for Work and Pensions, said the figures showed “everything opening up after lockdown”. He said the Kickstart scheme – which offers placements to young people at risk of long-term unemployment – was having a “big impact”.

“In most of our sites, we’re running recruitment events where employers are coming on site and interviewing young people,” he added.

“We’ve got more vacancies than ever before. There are lots of vacancies out there in all sorts of sectors.”

He said the sectors with the most vacancies included transport, logistics, care and hospitality, with new jobs also becoming available in agriculture.

“We’re just starting some work on what we can do to support that new challenge and get people to consider those sectors,” he said.

He said care had been a “misrepresented” sector. “It’s something that can be rewarding and there’s a great diversity of roles as well,” he added.

The figures were gathered while the furlough scheme was still in operation. It has been estimated that around a million people were still on the job support scheme when it ended on September 30.

Mr Sherman said it was too early to tell what impact the end of furlough would have on the figures but added: “In the last couple of weeks, we haven’t noticed a significant increase in claimants.”