Dumfries and Galloway unemployment rate sees slight rise over past 12 months

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The number of jobless people in Dumfries and Galloway has risen slightly in the past 12 months.But the number of people aged 18 to 24 looking for work has fallen.Data from the Department of Work and Pensions shows that in November, 2,425 people are unemployed – an increase of 45 or two per cent on November last year.But there are only 395 18 to 24 year olds out of work, a drop of 20 on the previous year.However, the number of unemployed over 50s has risen by 70 to 705.This is partly put down to people in that age bracket moving to Universal Credit from other benefits.Across Scotland, 97,000 people are unemployed, down 24,000 or 0.9 per cent on last year.Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, said: “Everyone deserves the security and opportunity of a well-paid job.“Our plan to Get Britain Working will tackle inactivity, which is vital to unlocking economic growth.

We’re giving our JobCentres the biggest overhaul in a generation and we’re making work pay by increasing the National Living Wage which will mean an increase of £1,400 a year from April for hundreds of thousands of full-time workers in Scotland.“We are delivering our Plan for Change with investment and reform to deliver growth, put more money in people’s pockets and to rebuild Britain.”Work coaches and Jobcentre teams across Dumfries and Galloway have taken a number of steps to tackle unemployment, including backing a campaign encouraging people to volunteer as a driver to help them build confidence and learn new skills.Volunteer recruitment fairs have also helped more than 20 people take up new roles.Plans for 2025 include recruitment events with the council.Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall MP said: “Today’s figures are a stark reminder of the