EMPLOYMENT figures in York are continuing to rise to pre recession levels as the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance drops once again.

In April unemployment figures dropped to their lowest since before recession, with 1,931 claimants.

New figures released yesterday revealed the number of claimants has fallen once again, with May's statistics 1.5 per cent lower.

Last month there were 1,790 claimants, 141 less than in April, and 973 less than May 2013, resulting in a year on year decrease of 35.2 per cent.

The claimant count represents 1.3 per cent of the working population, falling lower than the regional average which stands at 3.4 per cent and the national average of 2.6 per cent.

May's statistics also showed a fall in youth unemployment, with a reduction of 325 young people, aged between 18 and 24, claiming Jobseekers Allowance in the last year, representing a fall of 50 per cent from May 2013.

Cllr James Alexander, leader of City of York Council said: “These results are testament to the partnership working in the city to help secure jobs and growth, this work is highlighted by the fact that York continues to outperform national and regional figures.

"Despite this good news we must continue to work hard to further reduce unemployment levels in the coming months."

The number of claimants in North Yorkshire was down from 5,488 in April to 5,044 in May, with the percentage of the working population claiming jobseeker's allowance down 0.1 per cent.

A drop 0.1 per cent was mirrored across the county with the percentage of people claiming in Selby falling from 1.9 per cent to 1.8 per cent, while in Ryedale there was a drop of 1.3 per cent to 1.2 per cent, and in East Riding numbers fells from 2.2 per cent to 2.1 per cent.