Figures for unemployed claimants are out today and it’s sad to see yet another rise in the number of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claimants on the Isle of Wight.
The figures show that the figures are the fourth highest since January 2006, with only 161 between the December 2011 figures and January 2010, the previous high.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of residents claiming Job Seekers Allowance on the Island rose to 3,672 in December 2011.
This is a hike of 233 since November, which showed 3,439 JSA claimants and up 324 from December 2010 (3,348).
Last month’s figures showed 107 more people on Job Seekers Allowance than December 2009 (3,565).
4.4% of the resident population of area aged 16-64 is claiming JSA – 1.8 percent more than the rest of the South East (2.6%), and 0.5% more than the whole of the UK (3.9%).
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Update 9:55: Changed headline to reflect fourth highest. Add para to detail the same. Added graph.
