City of York Council has welcomed figures that have shown the number of York residents claiming Jobseekers Allowance and Universal Credit (out of employment) has again fallen.

The statistics, released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show there are now 1,025 claimants in York, a fall of 210 (17 per cent) from November 2014 and of 27 residents claiming jobseekers allowance and Universal Credit in the last month.

The figures also showed the number of young people claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit has also fallen by 63.27 per cent in the last year.

The Jobseekers Allowance claimant count for York represents 0.5 per cent of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 2 per cent. The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 1.5 per cent.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economic Development of City of York Council said:

“I am pleased that the long-term figures show a reduction in the number of claimants in the past 12 months. As an Executive we remain committed to working with partners across the city to support residents looking for work. With the recent positive news in relation to York’s economy with announcements such as the York Central proposals, the opening of the Hiscox offices and the announcement regarding the BID will hopefully see this positive trend continue and offer more opportunities for York residents.”