UNEMPLOYMENT has risen slightly in York in the last year, but the number of young people out of work has fallen.

Official figures released today show the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in York has risen by one per cent in the last year, but experts say such a small increase could be down to one off changes, or “seasonal variations”.

However, the same figures show 10 per cent fewer 18 to 24 year olds in York claimed Jobseekers Allowance in the last month than at the same time last year.

Job centre staff in York said they had recently run a recruitment event for the One Stop Shop and would soon be running another event for the company with six vacancies at three different stores.

They are also running regular registration sessions for Tangerine Confectionery for people interested in work at their Poppleton Road factory; helping Quattro Recruitment find people to fill full-time positions in food production at Moor Monkton; and are working with York College to help people newly qualified in construction.

In Selby, the total number of claimants has gone down by four per cent while for 18 to 24 year olds the decrease has been 16 per cent.

Nationally, the figures show the employment rate is at 74.6 per cent, with 31.84 million people in work – an increase of 312,000 on the year and the joint highest rate since records began in 1971.

The Office for National Statistics has also announced that the unemployment rate remains low at 4.7 per cent, the lowest it has been since 1975.

Minister for Employment, Damian Hinds, added: “There’s good news in Yorkshire and the Humber, where the employment rate is at a record high of 73.8% with a near record number of 1.21 million women in work as well.”

He added: “This is yet another strong set of figures, with unemployment at a rate that hasn’t been beaten since the 1970s and more vacancies than ever before. More people are finding full-time jobs and average wages have grown yet again, meaning more families have the security of a regular wage. However, there is always more to do. That’s why we’re creating a welfare system that rewards work through Universal Credit, which helps claimants keep more of the money they earn.”