There was a slight fall in the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits in the Harrogate district in September.
A total of 3,875 people claimed out-of-work benefits during the month, down slightly from 3,970 in August. Of those, 2,210 were men and 1,665 were women.
The figures, which were published today by the Office for National Statistics, revealed 4.1% of the district’s population claimed out-of-work benefits — down from 4.2% in the previous month.
Harrogate is below the UK-wide figure of 6.5% for people claiming the benefits, which include Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit.
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The number of benefit claims in the district has remained stable since May, with the government’s furlough scheme used to protect more than 15,000 jobs in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
The scheme ends this month and will be replaced by the Job Support Scheme, which is designed to protect viable jobs.
Under the new scheme, an employee who works a minimum of 33% of their normal hours a week will be guaranteed 77% of their weekly wage.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said financial support on offer to employees must “adapt and evolve”.
