Devon’s JSA claimants increase slightly in November

Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants in Devon increased by 13 during November.

This is the first rise in claimants since February - the total claimant count now standing at 2,860, 23% lower than the same time last year.

Three of Devon’s eight districts experienced small increases in JSA – North Devon the highest at 26 claimants, closely followed by Exeter at 22, and South Hams at four.

Small falls were experienced in all the other Devon districts – Mid Devon having the largest month on month drop in claimants at 24, with West Down down by seven, Teignbridge down by four and Torridge by one.

The claimant rate (proportion of the county’s working age population claiming JSA) remained unchanged for Devon at 0.6%. Only two districts (Mid Devon and North Devon) experienced minor changes – a rise of 0.1% in North Devon and a fall of 0.1% in Mid Devon. Torridge remains the district with the highest claimant rate in Devon at 0.9%, but this is still below the UK average of 1.2% for November.

The number of Youth claimants (aged 24 and under) increased by 15 across Devon between October and November. At a district level, East Devon, Exeter, North Devon and Teignbridge experienced increases of between 5 and 10 claimants. Torridge and West Devon fell by 5 youth claimants each, with Mid Devon and South Hams remaining unchanged.

As a result of the small increase in youth claimants, Devon’s average youth claimant count rate increased by 0.5% between October and November to 12.8% (still 0.2% lower than the national average).

Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council's Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said: “Whilst November’s JSA data shows a slight rise in claimants for Devon, the overall trend for the year remains encouraging. We continue to back schemes aiming to reduce unemployment, boost wages and increase the diversity of the Devon economy.

“Our network of Work Hubs throughout Devon is providing valuable shared employment space for start-ups. The Devon Delivers Business Promotion grant is also helping businesses tap into growing markets, with initiatives such as Devon’s Fab Lab and Enterprise in Schools, helping boost digital skills and encourage entrepreneurial spirit in our youth.

"We are also working with new European Social Fund programmes to help those furthest from the labour market to improve their employability and skills.”