Jobless total rises for a third month

UNEMPLOYMENT in Oldham has risen for the third successive month — reflecting national figures which have seen the jobless total reach its worst level for almost a decade.

Locally, there are 4,520 people out of work, a rise of 198 in the past month, made up of 3,368 men and 1,152 women.

The men’s figure has risen by 151 and the women’s total by 47.

The total represents 3.4 per cent of the borough’s working population, which compares poorly with the regional average of 2.5 per cent and the national average of 2.9 per cent.

In Greater Manchester, only Manchester with 3.8 per cent has a higher rate, although Rochdale mirrors Oldham at 3.4.

Nationally, there were 1.72 million people out of work in the three months to July, up by 81,000 from the previous quarter and the highest total since the spring of 1999.

The number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance rose for the seventh month in a row in August, by 32,500 to 904,900 — the biggest monthly hike since December, 1992.

The Office for National Statistics said the trend on both the claimant count and the wider number of jobless was increasing.

The number of workers in manufacturing continued to fall, down by 42,000 in the latest quarter to 2.87 million, the lowest since records began 30 years ago.