4,857 People in Borough Claim Jobseeker's Allowance

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Figure up slightly from previous month but down by 500 over year

The latest labour market statistics show that in August, there were 4,857 people in Hammersmith and Fulham claiming Jobseeker's Allowance.

This figure, released last week by the Office for National Statistics was slightly higher than the July figure of 4,823, but down 571 from August last year, when the total was 5,428.

In fact, the numbers hit an all time high of 5,596 the following month, September 2009, but have been falling since then, and have remained consistently below 5,000 since May.

These figures mean the percentage of unemployed people in the borough claiming Jobseeker's Allowance dropped from 4.4% in August 2009 to 3.9% last month. This is slighty below the overall London percentage of 4% and well below the national rate of 4.5%.

The numbers in Hammersmith and Fulham include 3,099 males and 1,758 females.

The majority - 3.055 - were aged 25 - 49 and around the same number - 2,970 to be exact - were out of work for less than six months.

1,040 were out of work for between six and 12 months and 845 were out of work for more than a year.

Across the country, the total number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in August was 1,466,300, up 2,300 from July but down 135,500 from the same month last year.

Despite this, the new figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that in the last three months the number of people in employment rose by 286,000 - the biggest quarterly leap on record.  This rise, according to Employment Minister Chris Grayling, was driven mainly by the private sector.

He said: “Today’s jump in employment is good news but it doesn’t disguise the fact that the system the Government inherited is failing to get people on welfare into these jobs. It is neither fair for the people on benefits, nor the taxpayer who supports them.

"That’s why we are pressing ahead with retesting everyone claiming incapacity benefits and introducing our new Work Programme, which will give people the tailored support they need to move them into sustained work."

Here are the numbers of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in local London boroughs:

       
Brent        9,168          
Ealing       8,705      
Hammersmith and Fulham       4,857          
Kensington and Chelsea       3,350          
Kingston upon Thames 2,029          
Richmond upon Thames 2,088          
Wandsworth   6,123          
Westminster  4,996          
       

September 20, 2010