Women the losers as jobs toll rises

A THREE-DIGIT rise in the number of women who lost their jobs over the last few months has caused a slight increase in overall unemployment in Oldham.

The total figure is up by eight on the February numbers because the number of women out of work — a rise of 111 to 2,093 — has coincided with a rise in the number of men finding jobs. The male unemployment rate actually fell by 103 to 4,855.

The total number of people out of work in the borough is now 6,948, the fourth successive monthly rise.

Nationally, unemployment fell by 36,000 in the quarter to March to 2.45million, a rate of 7.7 per cent, down by 0.1 per cent on the quarter.

Economists warned that unemployment is likely to head up over the coming months, despite the improvement seen in the current figures.

The number of jobless 16 to 17-year-olds decreased by 1,000 on the quarter to 211,000 while the number of unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds fell by 29,000 to 724,000.

The improved figures come just days after the Government unveiled a £60million package aimed at boosting work prospects for the youth sector.

The number of people on Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) unexpectedly shot up last month as the number of women claimants hit a 14-and-a-half year high.

The so–called claimant count increased by 12,400 last month to 1.47 million, the largest increase in 16 months, the Office for National Statistics reported. Economists were expecting a decline of between 4,000 and 10,000.

The surge in the female claimant count came as more single mothers switched from income support to JSA, due to changes to benefit rules introduced in 2008.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: “It’s good news to see that unemployment is going in the right direction and pleasing that unemployment has fallen for young people.”