Shropshire unemployment and claimants fall again

The Office for National Statistics said payrolled workers jumped by 0.6 per cent between September and October to 29.3 million - "well above" levels seen before the pandemic struck.

The unemployment rate also fell once more to 4.3 per cent between July to September, down from 4.5 per cent between June and August, in spite of the furlough scheme coming to an end on September 30. There were 1.4 million unemployed, down 152,000 on the previous quarter, while employment rose 247,000 to 32.5m.

In the West Midlands the unemployment rate was 4.8 per cent with 141,000 out of work and the employment rate was at 59.3 per cent – 2.79m.

The region also saw a drop in the numbers claiming unemployment benefits, including Universal Credit last month.

The total was down 7,780 to 215,265 – 5.9 per cent of the working population.

In Shropshire there were 305 fewer people claiming at 6,030 (3.2 per cent) with Telford and Wrekin seeing a drop of 210 to 5,125 (4.6 per cent).

Powys also experienced a fall of 105 to 2,250 claimants (3 per cent).

Ben Vaughan, Shropshire employer manager at Jobcentre Plus, said: “The numbers of Universal Credit claimants across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin continued to fall between September 2021 and October 2021 with both local authorities showing strong signs of economic recovery.

"Shropshire as a local authority showed a greater reduction in their claimant caseload than both the wider West Midlands zone and nationally for this period and currently rank 49th out of 374 local authorities across England, Wales and Scotland for the overall reduction in their Universal Credit claimants between August 2020 and August 2021, showing just reward for a progressive, multi-agency approach to tackling the challenges that Covid has brought locally.

"As part of their Economic Taskforce, Shropshire Council, alongside a number of key partners and providers including Jobcentre Plus, delivered the 'What’s Next for Shropshire' event on November 3 at the Montgomery Waters Stadium. The event was well attended both face to face and online and allowed the taskforce’s strategy for 2022-2027 to be discussed and shaped by local businesses, stakeholders and interested parties.

"The Government’s Plan for Jobs scheme continues to support jobseekers of all ages back into employment, with hundreds of 18-24 year olds successfully returning to work in Shropshire through the Kickstart scheme, with many receiving extensive one to one support through our Youth Hub network across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.

"The Restart scheme continues to support jobseekers who have been unemployed for more than 12 months to find new employment, with the new Silverpreneurs scheme funded by the Marches Growth Hub also now launching in Shropshire to support those aged 50 plus to launch or relaunch businesses.

"With Jobcentre Plus opening the doors of its additional site in Telford this month and with our extended Jobcentre in Shrewsbury also due to open in November, we are now able to support more jobseekers to return to employment than ever before in Shropshire.”

The ONS said survey responses so far suggest only a small number of redundancies have been made among the 1.1 million still on furlough when the scheme closed.

Sam Beckett, ONS head of economic statistics, said: "It might take a few months to see the full impact of furlough coming to an end, as people who lost their jobs at the end of September could still be receiving redundancy pay.

"However, October's early estimate shows the number of people on the payroll rose strongly on the month and stands well above its pre-pandemic level."

She added: "There is also no sign of an upturn in redundancies and businesses tell us that only a very small proportion of their previously furloughed staff have been laid off."

Chancellor Rishi Sunak hailed the latest jobs figures as being "testament to the extraordinary success of the furlough scheme".

He said: "We know how vital keeping people in good jobs is, both for them and for our economy - which is why it's fantastic to see the unemployment rate falling for nine months in a row and record numbers of people moving into employment."