Have we cracked it on the job front?

Tuesday 12 May 2015

The number of unemployed in Jersey is at its lowest for three and a half years.

At the end of last month, there were 1,390 people classed as ‘actively seeking work’ in Jersey – 220 fewer than April 2014 and back to a figure last recorded in September 2011.

Of that figure, 160 were teenagers: 50 fewer than the same month last year, and 190 had been unemployed for more than a year: the lowest recorded number for four years.

Sophie Le Sueur, the head of the States’ Back to Work team, said she would have been disappointed if there hadn’t been a fall.

“At this time of year, employers start to recruit for seasonal jobs so we tend to see a drop. With more jobs available in, for instance, hospitality, we also see fewer people registering as unemployed. That said, the outlook is consistently getting better. You get a sense that there are fewer redundancies and people feel more secure in employment. Confidence is definitely increasing.

“But we would clearly like to find everyone a job so our work continues. If we can help people find work and reduce the number of Income Support claimants, then everyone benefits.”

Just over three-quarters (76%) of those registered as actively seeking work at the end of April (1,060 people) were receiving Income Support.