Another drop in unemployment

Friday 23 May 2014

Unemployment in Jersey has dropped to its lowest level for two-and-a-half years, according to figures out this morning.

Stats released by the States show that unemployment is at its lowest since December 2011, with 900 men and 720 women out of work and registered as unemployed. The April unemployment figures show the seventh consecutive monthly drop in jobless numbers.

The figures have been welcomed by Social Security Minister Francis Le Gresley, who said that part of the reason was the investment that the States had put into various initiatives to get Islanders off benefits and back into the workplace.

He said: “The initiatives run by Back to Work have enabled a record number of people to find employment during April, with 245 job starts recorded. While it is very encouraging to see that the number of people registered as unemployed is now at its lowest level since September 2012, work will continue to support jobseekers in finding employment.

 “Back to Work is working closely with different industries to provide training which will help jobseekers access current and future roles and a number of large scale capital projects are also due to begin this year, and we are working with the construction industry so that they can plan for the demand these projects will generate.”

The figures also show that 24% of those registered as unemployed and actively seeking work were under the age of 25, and that 13% - or one in eight – were aged between 16 and 19.

Of the 1,620 people out of work, 300 had been jobless for more than a year.