Economy takes its toll on county jobs

In the Luton South constituency, latest figures show the number of people currently claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance stands at 5.6 per cent, a total of 3,763 people. This is up by 0.5 per cent on last September, when 200 fewer people were claiming.

The latest figures take the jobless total back to the same as the same month in 2009, and are in stark contrast to pre-recession figures from 2006, when just 3.8 per cent, or 2,467 people, were claiming.

In Luton North the total is lower, with 4.7 per cent of the population (2,836) people claiming. Again, the latest figures take the jobless total back to the same level as 2009, after an improvement of 0.6 per cent last year. In 2006 just 3.1 per cent of people in Luton North were claiming.

The worst affected wards are Dallow, where unemployment currently stands at 7.4 per cent, up from 6.4 per cent last September, and Biscot, where it stands at 7.3 per cent. In both wards nearly 100 extra people are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance compared to 12 months ago.

The lowest unemployment is in the Bramingham ward, where the number claiming has actually gone down since September last year, from two per cent to the current 1.7 per cent.

In the South West Beds constituency, unemployment currently stands at 3.5 per cent, up from 3.2 per cent last year but down on the September 2009 figure of 3.8 per cent.