THE number of people claiming unemployment benefit and universal credit in Barnsley was 5,075 in June, latest monthly figures show.
The figure was a 0.6 per cent drop on the previous month. It was a 43 per cent increase on the same month last year, but a 31 per cent drop when compared to the same month five years ago.
The figure for those aged 18 to 24 claiming the same benefits is now 1,065, which is a 1.4 per cent decrease on the month before, a 35 per cent increase from the same month last year, but a 51 per cent fall compared to five years ago.
Changes to the benefit system mean the figures seem inflated since last year, and many of those included in the figure - more than a third of the total - are in work but claiming universal credit. It includes those who would previously have been working, but on housing benefit or tax credits.
Nigel Coleman, from Jobcentre Plus ,said: “We’re now seeing employment at record levels, and in Barnsley there are still thousands of jobs available to local people.
“It’s a very strong market for those wanting to work, and universal credit is making it easier for people to move from benefits into work.”
Major recruitment underway at the job centre includes 1,200 positions for Clipper Logistics near Meadowhall on behalf of Pretty Little Thing, 1,000 XPO logistics jobs for ASOS at Grimethorpe, 100 positions at Premier Foods Carlton, and 50 at New York Bakery, Swinton.
