YORK has seen a surprise rise in the number of unemployed people claiming benefits.

There was a seven per cent increase in the claimant count in May compared with the same month last year.

The number rose year-on-year by 65 to 1,020 in the City of York Council area, while the number of claimants aged 18-24 increased ten per cent from 210 to 230.

Sara Farrar, recruitment and partnership manager at Selby, York and Ryedale Jobcentres, said she did not feel the overall increase was a cause for concern, 'given the fact that the labour market is so buoyant and the Jobcentre employer engagement team continues to work very actively connecting jobseekers with employers.'

She thought the opening of a new Primark store in York last year could well have had an impact on the figure for May 2016, with which this May was compared.

In Selby, there had been a 10 per cent fall in the claimant count for May, compared to 12 months ago, with the total number of claimants falling by 75 to 675 and the number of claimants aged 18-24 fell by 14 per cent to 155.

. Ms Farrar said York's tourism was still booming, with the Jobcentre supporting a number of high profile hotels in recruiting a varied range of staff roles from room attendants, receptionists, maintenance, porters, conference and banqueting, senior management positions, as well as chefs, pot washers, bar and beverage staff.

"The new Travelodge Hotel on Layerthorpe will also be looking for housekeeping staff to start work when it opens, and so far, following a CV sift, 15 jobseekers have been invited to interview with 5 already having been offered jobs.

"There is ongoing recruitment via agencies for production line workers at the three major factories in York, including Tangerine, Nestle and Rosti-Mckechnie.

"We have also supported the NHS with a recruitment for domestic assistants resulting in 10 job offers on the interview day in the Jobcentre.

"Whilst some of these roles are at national minimum/living wage, they provide a stepping stone to career progression, bolstering a CV and providing evidence of a work ethic that all employers rate as a high priority when recruiting."

Nationally, a record 31.95 million people are now in work, with unemployment down 50,000 on the quarter and the lowest rate since 1975