Henry Smith MP has welcomed the latest figures showing that since 2010, the number of people in Crawley claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) fell by 1,458, a drop of 61%.

The figures also showed that across the country, wages are rising at the fastest rate in real terms since 2007, increasing for the eighth month in a row.

Henry said;

“While I’m pleased that almost 1,500 fewer people in Crawley are relying on Jobseeker’s Allowance compared to 2010, I know that there is still more to be done.

“I’ve listened to Crawley companies who have taken on staff as a result of the Government’s Employment Allowance. This is something I’ve raised directly with the Chancellor of the Exchequer previously, and was delighted when he confirmed last week that this will be increased by 50% to £3,000.

“This Employment Allowance gives businesses and charities a cut in the employer National Insurance they pay. This means that in 2016-17, a business will be able to employ four people, full-time, on the National Living Wage – and pay no National Insurance at all.”

The unemployment rate in Crawley is currently 1.6%, with the latest figures confirming that the youth unemployment rate has fallen to the same figure.

Across all ages, the number of people in Crawley claiming JSA has fallen by 258 in the last year.

The youth unemployment figure in Crawley has fallen by 15 in the last month, with 145 people between the ages of 18 and 24 claiming JSA.

Henry continued;

“The number of people claiming JSA in Crawley has fallen again and‎ nationally since 2010, an average of around 1,000 jobs have been created each day, annual real wage growth is at 3.2%, and the number of young people without a job has fallen by 184,000 since 2010.”