Moray youth unemployment levels fall

YOUTH unemployment in Moray has fallen year on year, figures from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) have revealed.

As of November 2021, the number of people in Moray in the 18-24 age group claiming jobseeker benefits had fallen to 283, down 206 from the previous year. This represents a fall of 42 per cent.

The fall was mirrored across Scotland and the UK over the same time period.

A decrease of 16,478 took the Scottish total to 20,800, a reduction amounting to 44 per cent.

Across the UK as a whole, nearly 200,000 young people – 189,991 were claiming jobseeker benefits compared to November 2020, representing a drop of 40 per cent to 281,893.

Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP, said: “These ONS figures show unemployment remains low, below pre-pandemic levels for the first time, and employment is continuing to grow, providing a stable foundation as new global challenges emerge.

"With record numbers of vacancies out there, our focus is on helping people build their skills and improve their prospects by moving into work.

“We are connecting thousands of job-ready claimants to live opportunities, giving them a platform to progress and pursue a career. To achieve this, we are working with a wide range of sectors to create and maintain a workforce that is skilled, productive, reliable and resilient.”

Minister for Welfare Delivery, David Rutley MP, added: “Universal Credit continues to provide a vital safety net to millions.

"We know the best route towards prosperity is through work, which is why so much of the benefit is designed around helping people into employment. This includes individual tailored support from work coaches and our new Way to Work scheme, whilst working claimants continue to benefit from an extra £1000 per year on average in their pockets thanks to recent changes we made so people keep more of what they earn.”