The number of people claiming Jobs Seekers Allowance (JSA) in York has fallen.

The Office for National Statistics have released figures today stating that there are 3053 claimants in York, a decrease of 59 from last month and of 562 from March 2012. The claimant count represents 2.3% of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 4.9%. The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 3.8%.

The figures display a year on year improvement in the number of claimants in the city with the figures representing the lowest March claimant count since 2008.

Data from the 2012 Annual Population Survey has also shown York’s residents to be more highly skilled than ever, 41.3% of the working age population are now qualified to NVQ level four or higher this is higher than the national average (34.4%) and the regional average (29.7%).

The proportion of the workforce with no qualifications has also decreased with 6.4% of the working population having no qualifications; this is far below the national average (11.5%) and the regional average (9.7%).