Following the publication of the ‘disappointing’ national unemployment figures for September, the figures by constituency have now been issued. And they show that the Devizes constituency has seen a steady increase over the past months in the number of young unemployed.
The annual increase – that’s the 2011 level compared to the same month in 2010 – in those aged twenty-four and under who are claiming job seekers allowance has risen sharply:
— July 2011 showed an increase of 5.8 per cent over July 2010.
— August 2011 showed an increase of 10.9 per cent over August 2010.
— September 2011 showed an increase of 23.1 per cent over September 2010.
The actual numbers may look small and are only a tiny part of the 946,000 young employed recorded across the UK in September: in our constituency, young claimants in July numbered 275, in August 305 and in September 320.
These are not, of course, just digits in government tables, they are young people without jobs in a constituency where the level of employment has historically been very high indeed. In part this has been because a high proportion have been employed in the public sector and also that the area has a high proportion of retired people.
In the other age groups (25 to 49 and 50-plus) the number of claimants in the Devizes constituency has been falling in percentage terms over the last three months against the same months last year. But in terms of the number of claimants in the 24-49 group the figures show a very small increase from July’s 470 to September’s 500.
Overall September’s figures show the constituency’s unemployment rate has risen by just one tenth of one per cent from 2.0 to 2.1 per cent. This means that Devizes constituency has dropped seven places in the ranking table for employment. Back in April Devizes was at 623 out of 350, now it is at 611 – still making the constituency one of the forty lowest in the UK for unemployment.
If you know someone who is unemployed in the under-24 age group and who would like to tell us about their experiences while trying to find work in the Devizes constituency, please contact us via mailto:info@marlboroughnewsonline.co.uk
