6 year low for youth unemployment in Telford and Wrekin
Telford & Wrekin Council's new plans to tackle high youth unemployment in the borough seem to be working.
The number of unemployed people in Telford and Wrekin has fallen again, including the number of young unemployed.
The latest monthly unemployment figures show a decrease in those claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Telford and Wrekin, down by 170 from 3,195 in April to 3,025 in May, a fall of 5%.
In April, the number of 16–24 year olds claiming JSA had fallen below 1,000 for the first time in nearly six years and was recorded at 995, but last month that figure fell again to a low of 920.
At the Jobs Fair in March, the Council launched its Job Box initiative.
The Job Box is the Council’s new campaign to highlight the support available to people who are out of work in Telford and Wrekin, with an emphasis on its new initiatives to help tackle youth unemployment.
The Council signed up to a number of pledges to tackle youth unemployment. One of these pledges was to increase the number of its Job Junctions from eight to fifteen.
The Job Box Job Junctions are an existing service offered by the Council to individuals seeking assistance finding employment and training. They have proved highly successful and as a result the Council has committed to increasing the number available each week.
There are now seventeen Job Junctions held each week, at sixteen locations across the borough with, its latest launched today in Randlay and more planned for the summer.
Councillor Shaun Davies, cabinet member for Employment and Skills, said:
“We are serious about bringing down the number of people out of work in the borough.
“The Job Box Job Junctions have been really successful at helping local people find lasting employment and training opportunities.
“The new Job Junctions, like the one in Randlay being launched today, are in areas of the borough previously not served and in most need of the service.
“Another decrease in JSA claimants in Telford and Wrekin is encouraging but doesn’t tell the full story as they mask the true number of those unemployed who are not claiming Job Seekers Allowance. I am told by people in the borough that securing sufficient working hours is a problem for many and we are looking at what we can do to help people access more opportunities.
“This month’s figures show that most of the fall in JSA claimants comes from those claiming for less than 6 months. This highlights the continuing difficulty experienced by long-term JSA claimants in finding employment.
“High youth unemployment remains a serious concern here. We know we can’t solve the issue overnight but we must do everything we can to address it."
