Your town and the credit crunch jobless

Link to the article

Last Modified: 21 Jan 2009
By: Lewis Hannam, Bridgid Nzekwu

The number of people out of work in some towns and cities in the UK has more than doubled in the past year, Channel 4 News has found.



Hull, Crawley, Barnsley, Bishop Auckland, the Rhondda in Wales and Mid Ulster in Northern Ireland are among the areas hardest hit by the credit crunch, research obtained from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows.

In Mid Ulster the number of people claiming unemployment benefit rose by 147 per cent between November 2007 and November 2008, from a total of 637 to 1,515.

In Barnsley, South Yorkshire, the number of people claiming rose 107 per cent in the same period, from 781 to 1,618.

According to the ONS figures obtained by Channel 4 News, the 10 areas which have suffered the biggest overall increase in the total number of people claiming unemployment benefit are:

* Kingston Upon Hull North: 1,177 more people claiming unemployment benefit
* Kingston Upon Hull East: 1,045
* Mid Ulster (Northern Ireland): 938
* East Londonderry (Northern Ireland): 938
* Halifax: 931
* Cannock Chase (Staffordshire): 906
* Upper Bann (Northern Ireland): 902
* Barnsley East & Mexborough: 897
* Kingston Upon Hull West & Hessle: 874
* Bishop Auckland (County Durham): 867

The area with the biggest increase in the unemployment rate - the percentage of the resident population who are looking for work but unable to find it - was the Rhondda, where it rose 1.7 per cent in 12 months.

Details over the areas hardest hit by the economic downturn were revealed as new nationwide unemployment figures show that the jobless total increased by 131,000 to 1.92 million between September and November.

The UK now has an unemployment rate of 6.1 per cent and the two million barrier is sure to be breached next month following a spate of job cuts since the start of the year.

The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance increased last month by 77,900 to 1.16 million, the worst figure since 2000.

Employment Minister Tony McNulty said: "In these tough times, people need real help to find a job. That's exactly what this government is offering and every day people are finding work.

"These figures show that whilst more people are claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, 231,000 have come off in the last month as people take advantage of the extra help on offer.

"The government is doing all it can to ensure economic stability for businesses, homeowners and jobseekers. The measures that we have introduced over the recent months are designed to support the recovery of the economy and ensure that people have the best support to get back into employment.

"Every person looking needs to know that there are jobs out there and we will give you the support you need to fill one of those half a million vacancies that are available right now. We will continue to ensure everyone who loses their job has access to the full range of support that Jobcentre Plus has available.

"Our message to job seekers is clear - we won't give up on you but you mustn't give up on looking for work."