6,500 unemployed in south Essex

Oct 19, 2008
By Alex McNally

MORE than 6,500 people in south Essex are signing on to the dole, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Figures show the number of people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance in September increased by 153 people from the previous month.

Two thirds of the claims are coming from people living in Castle Point and Southend.

Unemployment nationally has risen in the past three months to 5.7 per cent of people over 16, with 164,000 more people currently out of a job.

Since June, the number of people across south Essex out of work and claiming benefits has increased by about 800.

Denise Rossiter, Essex Chambers of Commerce operations director, offered some hope by suggesting businesses in the county were not suffering as badly as others elsewhere in the country. She said: “In a period of economic downturn it is sadly inevitable jobs will be lost.

“We would like this to be a short-term situation, but I am not sure we have seen the end of it.

“But it is not all doom and gloom. In Essex, businesses are not affected as badly as they are elsewhere in the country.

“The economy will come back and settle itself down again.”

Jobseekers’ Allowance pays £60.50 per week for a person aged over 25, who is out of work.

Nationally, the number of people claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance rose by 31,800 to 939,900 in September.

Source: Echo News