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Devon’s JSA Claimants rise
Devon’s Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants increased by 56 claimants between August and September 2015 to 3,297 claimants in total.
However, the overall claimant rate for Devon - the proportion of the county’s working age population - remains the same at 0.8 per cent, still far below the UK average of 1.7 per cent.
At a district level, Exeter and East Devon have experienced falls of 20 and 24 claimants each, while the remaining districts, with the exception of North Devon, experienced increases no higher than 15 claimants
In North Devon, JSA claimants rose by 53.
The claimant rate at a district level remains largely unchanged from August. The highest rate again is Torridge at 1.3 per cent, but still far below the UK average of 1.7 per cent.
The number of people aged 24 and under claiming JSA in Devon increased by 30 claimants, although at a district level the picture was mixed.
West and Mid Devon have experienced no change, while claimant numbers in Exeter and South Hams fell by 10 and 5 claimants respectively.
Devon County Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said:
“The rise in JSA claimants for September is in line with the historical trend for an increase in claimants around this time of year as the summer season ends.
"It is worth casting back to this time last year when Devon claimants stood at 4,233, which at that time was the lowest on record.
"The current figure is 28 per cent lower than this, signifying that the overall trend for Devon continues to be a very positive one.
"However, we continue to focus efforts on tackling the higher than average youth claimants, through schemes such the Youth Deal wage progression pilot and the Council’s Enterprise in Education grant.
"Ongoing work focused on the East Devon Growth Point and Okehampton East business park is helping boost the variety of employment opportunities across Devon, as well as increase access to valuable employment space."