Watford MP Richard Harrington has welcomed unemployment figures released today that show unemployment in Watford has fallen for the sixth consecutive month, to the lowest level since March 2009.
In addition to the fall in the number of JSA claimants across the town, figures released by the ONS show that youth unemployment has fallen significantly too, down to the lowest levels since 2008.
Employment levels in Watford have also risen significantly in recent years, and figures for the last 12 months show an increase of almost 5,000 people in employment on the previous period.
Richard Harrington MP said:
“There is still a long way to go, but the figures released today show clearly that unemployment is falling and employment is increasing under this Government.
“Measures introduced by the Government are working in helping people into work and increasing confidence in businesses in Watford to take on new staff. When I speak to companies in the constituency they tell me that they now have greater confidence in the economy and growth, allowing them to hire more staff to expand.
“The JobCentre Plus in Watford and other organisations such as the National Apprenticeship service have been instrumental in helping people find work and I am very grateful for all they do, including supporting my annual Jobs Fair.
“ I am pleased to see this continuing trend in falling unemployment in Watford, mirroring what is happening in the rest of the country. Whilst encouraging it would be wrong to get complacent and I will continue to support local businesses, organisations and individuals in Watford to bring unemployment down even further in the future.”
Figures taken from the Office of National Statistics for September 2013