Shropshire unemployment rises again
Dole queues in Shropshire got longer last month, new figures have revealed today.
The number of people claiming various forms of unemployment benefit in Shropshire rose from 1,925 to 1,950, while in Telford the figure rose from 1,760 to 1,830.
It is the second consecutive increase, on the back of rising unemployment in January when temporary workers who picked up roles over the Christmas period were re-entered the jobs market.
Nationally, the number of people on the claimant count, including Jobseeker's Allowance and those on Universal Credit required to seek work, fell by 11,300 last month to 734,700, the lowest since May 1975.
But the jobs boom has also seen a record number of workers employed on zero-hours contracts in their main job.
Workers on the controversial contracts increased by 101,000 in the last quarter of 2016 to 905,000 compared with the previous year.
Almost 32 million people are now in work, a jump of 92,000 over the quarter and 315,000 compared with a year earlier.
