Young jobseekers' allowance claims down 54 per cent

THE NUMBER of young adults claiming jobseekers’ allowance in Rotherham has halved within five years, according to new figures.

Just 1,070 local 18- to 24-year-olds were claiming JSA in October 2015, down from 2,340 in October 2010 — a fall of 54 per cent.

The 2015 figure is 22 per cent fall on last year, when 1,380 young adults were claiming the unemployment benefit.

Barnsley has seen a 60 per cent fall in five years, Doncaster 22 per cent and Sheffield 53 pe rcent.

Nigel Coleman, account manager at the Department for Work and Pensions in Sheffield, called the downturn “absolutely brilliant”.

He added: “I think people are now more willing to cross boundaries and borders to find work.

“We also have more employers who are feeling confident enough to hire people at the moment.

“It’s very positive. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Many of these new workers are working outside Rotherham, Nigel said, as JobCentres help people commute as far away as Leicestershire.

But he insists there are still jobs to be found within Rotherham.

“It’s great out there", he said. “I was at the Meadowhall job fair in October and that was very encouraging.

“They’re doubling the number of jobs there next year and getting many more companies involved.

“McDonald’s is also recruiting in the area."

Across all age groups, the number of JSA claimants fell by 2,944 between 2010 and 2015 — a drop of 41 per cent from 7,263 to 4,319.

The number fell by 19 per cent last year alone, with exactly 1,000 fewer claimants this year.

Barnsley saw a 45 per cent drop across all age groups, Doncaster 38 per cent and Sheffield 37 per cent, in the last year.

Nigel said: “We’ve also got about 19,000 more women in work across Yorkshire and the Humber this year, which is a record high.

“We’ve been shipping people out of the area."

This week, Magna welcomes the return of the Local Employment Advisory Forum (LEAF), attended by more than 1,000 people last year.

Employers and trainers from over 70 organisations will be on hand to talk about job opportunities and ways jobseekers can upskill.

For more information on the event, visit www.visitmagna.co.uk and search for “LEAF 2015”.