JSA rates in Devon lowest on record
The number of Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants in Devon fell by 91 in December compared to the previous month.
The 2.5 per cent fall now means that there are 3,602 claimants, the lowest level on record.
Overall the claimant rate for Devon (the proportion of the county’s working age population claiming JSA) remained the same at 0.8%, well below the UK average of 1.5%.
At a district level the greatest falls were in Exeter and Teignbridge, each falling by 54 claimants.
The district with the largest increase was North Devon, which increased by 30 claimants when compared with November, followed by East Devon which only increased by 8 claimants.
The remaining Devon districts either experienced no change or small falls in claimants.
At a district level the claimant rate remained largely unchanged from November.
North Devon's claimant rate increased by 0.1% and Teignbridge decreased by 0.1% - the rest experiencing no change.
The number of people aged 24 and under claiming JSA in Devon fell by 70 over the same period.
All districts, with the exception of North Devon, experienced reductions in youth claimants of between 5 and 20 – North Devon increasing by just 5 claimants.
The proportion of Devon JSA claimants aged 24 and under reduced by 1.3% - the gap between Devon and the UK reducing to just 1.2% above the UK average figure.
All districts experienced decreases in the proportion of younger claimants with the largest fall being in Mid Devon.
Devon County Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said:
“The latest reduction in JSA claimants for December is great to see - JSA claimants once again at historically low levels.
“Yet again we see a fall in the proportion of youth claimants in December, even in areas where youth unemployment has been historically high such as Torridge.
“Devon County Council continues to back schemes aiming to reduce unemployment further – working closely with local businesses and educational institutions to ensure both current and future workforces are suitably skilled.
“This includes investing in vital 21st century infrastructure such as rural superfast broadband; digital skills through initiatives such as Devon’s Fab Lab; and ensuring that Devon’s devolution proposition to government helps us tailor skills to our local economy.”
