Fife Jobseeker Numbers Falling Faster than Scotland

The number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in Fife is falling faster than in Scotland as a whole.

There were 5,427 people claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) in Fife in September 2015 according to the latest data published by the Department for Work and Pensions. 

Over the last month there has been a 13% decrease in the number of JSA claimants in Fife, compared to 10% in Scotland.

Councillor Lesley Laird, Fife Council’s Depute Leader and Executive Spokesperson for Economy & Planning said: “Against the wider economic figures this is good news for Fife as we have seen a bigger decline in JSA claimants this month than Scotland as a whole. 

"We still have a long way to go as the current Fife claimant rate is still higher than Scotland’s 1.9% but we are slowly closing the gap.

“It is particularly encouraging to see, significant decreases in JSA claimants in the Glenrothes area. 

"This is welcome news after the spike in JSA figures this summer due to the closure of Tullis Russell and is a good indicator that the Task Force operated by Fife Council and our partners is working well with staff to get people who are affected by redundancy back into work.”

Fife Council’s Youth Ambassador and Chair of Opportunities Fife, Councillor Tony Martin said: “Youth unemployment in Fife fell again this month, with 385 people aged 16-24 years coming off JSA in the last month alone – that’s a 23% decrease in the number of young claimants. 

"Most of this can be attributed to young people entering higher and further education in September.

“Fife’s 16-24 JSA claimant rate of 3.1% remains above the Scottish rate of 2.1%, so we still have more work to do. The Opportunities Fife Partnership has a range of programmes available, not just to 16-24 year olds, but to all age groups."