Unemployment in Devon continues to fall
The number of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claimants in Devon has fallen again in November, in line with the national trend to the lowest figure on record.
Total claimants now stand at 4,019, representing 99 fewer claimants than in October (a 2.5% fall month on month).
The fall is slightly less than for the UK as a whole, which experienced a 4.7% drop between October and November. However, as a proportion of the working age population Devon’s JSA rate is far lower at 0.9% compared with the UK rate at 2.1%.
At a district level, JSA claimant numbers fell for half of Devon’s Districts, with the largest drop experienced in Exeter where numbers of claimants fell by 14% between October and November. The districts which experienced increases were Torridge, East Devon, South Hams and North Devon – much of this being attributable to the reduction in seasonal employment at this time of year.
North Devon saw by far the largest increase of 9.1% from October levels. However, when comparing such rises to the proportion of the working age population, JSA claimant levels in all four districts remain far below the UK - North Devon’s claimant count standing at 0.9% of the working age population for November, in comparison to the UK rate at 2.1%.
Youth unemployment - the number of people aged 24 and under claiming JSA – decreased in Devon by 2% between October and November. However, when looking at a district level, South Hams, Mid Devon, Torridge and East Devon experienced increases in youth unemployment - East Devon registering the largest increase of 14.8%. Such increases are however offset by large decreases of 33% in West Devon and 25% in Exeter.
In Devon the proportion of all JSA claimants under the age of 25 is 24.4%, which compares with a proportion of 23.2% nationally. Nonetheless the proportion of working age people in Devon claiming JSA is overall much lower than for the UK as a whole.
Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council’s cabinet member for Economy and Growth said; "The latest JSA figures are a good sign that steady progress is being made in driving Devon’s economy forward and increasing employment. Nonetheless further work is required to ensure employment opportunities are available and entrepreneurship is driven forward across the whole County.
Devon County Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership are working together across Devon to drive forward enterprise led growth and provide the infrastructure necessary to support high value growth. We are continuing our work on initiatives such as our Mentoring and Youth Deal wage progression pilot, which aim to tackle youth unemployment in our county.
Through Devon County Council’s Enterprise in Education Pilot we are helping to drive forward an entrepreneurial culture in our County’s schools. We are also currently working with Government and the Local Enterprise Partnership to help secure a good deal for Devon in terms of funding from the Local Growth Deal and in helping to drive forward strategic infrastructure improvements, such as for the A303, which help businesses."
For a more information on Devon’s economy, and to find the latest JSA figures listed in full, visit: http://www.devonomics.info/
