Jobless on the rise as cuts set in

DOLE queues across Oldham are continuing to rise as the Government cuts appear to be kicking in.

For the third consecutive month the number of people claiming out of work benefits rose across the borough to 7,049 compared to 6,992 the previous month.

More than a quarter of the total are 18 to 24 year olds with almost all claiming for less than six months. Just 65 young people have been receiving Jobseekers Allowance for more than a year.

It means the percentage of people seeking employment in Oldham is 5.1 per cent of the working age population compared with 4.1 per cent across the North-West and 3.7 per cent across the country.

The number of job vacancies being advertised across the borough stands at 744.

Nationally the number of people claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance in June rose by 24,500 to 1.52 million — the biggest increase in two years putting the count at its highest level since March, 2010.

But the official figures also show UK unemployment fell 26,000 in the three months to May to 2.45 million. The number in employment rose 50,000 to 29.28 million to May — the highest total in more than two years.

Dr Brian Sloan, Head of Business and Economic Policy at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “At face value Greater Manchester’s claimant count doesn’t look particularly encouraging, but given the upward pressures on this number we feel this reinforces the findings of Our Quarterly Economic Survey that businesses are recruiting.This should help to build consumer confidence and boost demand. Our survey also indicates private sector job creation is picking up and is set to improve in the coming months.

“The small fall in unemployment nationally is another piece of positive news for consumers and the domestic economy.”