Unemployment on a downward trend in Devon

The number of people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) in Devon has fallen by 2.8% over the past month.

The claimant count across the county has gone down by 263 claimants between August and September, falling from 9,273 to 9,010.

This is the second consecutive month that the number of people claiming JSA has been lower than at the same time last year. Although this follows the national trend, the yearly fall of 5.7% in Devon demonstrates a faster reduction than the UK average of 1.6%.

Youth unemployment has also fallen very slightly this month from 2,745 in August to 2,700 in September - representing a 1.6% monthly decrease. This reflects the national picture, but again the fall in Devon is greater than the UK average (1.6% compared to 1.1% for the UK). The availability of temporary seasonal job opportunities, which are often more accessible for younger people, will no doubt have contributed to the fall in youth unemployment in recent months and the latest fall could also be due to the start of the new academic year, and people starting full-time education or other training courses.

Councillor Will Mumford, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy, Enterprise and Employment, said: “The latest figures are a positive sign for Devon’s labour market. A 2.8% fall of people claiming JSA signals a turn in the right direction, especially compared with last year’s figures when there was a 1.6% increase between August and September, and given that the effects of seasonal employment usually start to filter out of the figures during this period. It’s also encouraging that youth unemployment is continuing to fall, although we have to remain aware of the backdrop of seasonal work and the start of education and training courses.

“More recent national indicators suggest slight signs of improvement which provides hope that the national economy could pull itself out of recession in quarter 3 and will help to provide greater confidence for local businesses for the months ahead.”