Henry Smith MP has today welcomed the latest figures from the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) which show the unemployment claimant rate in Crawley is at its lowest for six years.

Henry said;

“I am delighted that unemployment in Crawley is continuing to fall, and has now gone down to 1.9 per cent, a decrease of more than half since the last General Election. The Jobseekers’ Allowance claimant rate in our town has not been this low since August 2008.”

“I’m particularly pleased to see that youth unemployment in Crawley has fallen to 2.1 per cent, which represents a fall of three quarters since under the last Labour government.

“For half of Labour’s tenure in government, 90 per cent of new jobs went to foreign nationals, this Government has now reversed this disgraceful trend, and 87 per cent of new jobs are rightly going to British nationals.

“Additionally, I am reassured that the local youth unemployment figure has fallen by half in the last 12 months alone. This Government is showing that it is committed to helping people into work, and is helping Crawley folk get on in life.

“As someone who has been unemployed myself, I know that if you are looking for work, the statistics aren’t of much comfort – it is 100 per cent of a problem.

“I want to play my part in helping people in Crawley find work, not only young people but also though mid life who may have suffered as a result of the previous recession. So I will be hosting the second annual Crawley Jobs Fair at the Civic Hall on Friday, 19th September 2014, to encourage local jobseekers to meet and speak with key local employers. Please visit www.CrawleyJobsFair.com for further information.”

Notes

Source: ONS Nomis database and House of Commons Library calculations.

• General unemployment rate is the proportion of economically active 16-64 year old residents claiming JSA.
• Youth unemployment rate is the proportion of 18-24 year olds claiming JSA.