The latest figures for people claiming out-of-work benefits show a slight drop in unemployment levels in the Harrogate district.
In June there were 3,740 people claiming out-of-work benefits, down slightly from 3,990 in May.
The figures were published today by the Office for National Statistics and are accurate up to June 11. They reveal that 3.9% of the district’s population were claiming out-of-work benefits, a decrease from 4.5% in May.
Of those, 2,135 were men and 1,605 were women.
Harrogate is below the UK figure of 6.3% for people claiming the benefits, which includes Job Seekers’ Allowance and Universal Credit. The ONS said that the labour market has stabilised but the long-term outlook remains uncertain.
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Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician at the ONS, said:
“As the pandemic took hold, the labour market weakened markedly, but that rate of decline slowed into June, though this is before recent reports of job losses.”
In his summer statement, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that from August to January, any company that hires an apprentice aged 16 to 24 will receive £2,000 from the government, while those that hire apprentices over 25 will be paid £1,500.
The announcement was welcomed by the principle of Harrogate College, who told The Stray Ferret that it will boost jobs in the district.
