MP hails drop in unemployment rate

South Holland and the Deepings MP John Hayes has hailed the continuing fall of the number of people unemployed in the area.
The latest job figures released on Thursday showed that locally the unemployment rate is now down to just 1.4 per cent.
Mr Hayes revealed that the number of people relying on out-of-work benefits has fallen by 59 per cent since 2010 which he felt defied all expectations.
He said: “The continued fall in unemployment in our area is terrific news and more people in work means more people with the security of a regular pay packet.
“South Holland and the Deepings has seen a huge fall in unemployment in recent years and we’ve seen a remarkable growth in the number of new jobs and new businesses.
“These figures defy expectations but we must, nonetheless, not lose sight of sticking to the economic policies that have made these successes possible.
“Additionally, the most recent statistics show that for job creation, South Holland and the Deepings is once again outperforming both the regional and national figures.”
Mr Hayes also praised the national jobs data, pointing out that the unemployment rate has fallen to an 11-year low and there are a record number of people now in work – including 461,000 more than at this time last year.
He added: “With wages rising too, up 2.3 per cent over the year, and inflation still low, there is much to welcome as the Government continues to provide greater economic security for hard-working people.
“The number of people in full-time work is up by two million since 2010, the claimant count is close to the lowest it’s been since 1975, and youth unemployment is down by almost 350,000 in the past six years.”