According to the most recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics, Cannock Chase is the second most improved area in Staffordshire since March 2015 in terms of the fall in the number of claimants, news that Amanda Milling has described as "fantastic".
The number of local Jobseeker Allowance claimants has dropped by 12% since March 2015. The total number unemployed in the Cannock Chase constituency has fallen to 739, which is a 2,165 reduction in claimants since March 2010, a drop of 75%.
Amanda Milling said: "This is fantastic news for the area and represents the growing recovery in the constituency. We will still work to reduce the unemployment number further and I am championing apprentices, business growth and new business here in Cannock Chase to help it drop even further. Both I and the district council also have jobs fairs coming up in the next few months.”
Nationally the employment rate remains at a record high at 74.1%. There are 31.4 million people in work, up 20,000 over the past quarter and 360,000 on the year. 80% of the annual rise was from full-time employment.
Long term unemployment has fallen to 467,000 – the lowest since early 2009 and the inactivity rate – people not in employment and not looking or not available to work – has fallen to its joint lowest rate on record of 21.7%
There are a near record 751,000 job vacancies and nearly 86%, 6.2 million, of 16-24s are in full time study or work, close to the highest proportion on record.
Amanda Milling added “The UK jobs market continues to strengthen, with nearly three-quarters of a million vacancies in the economy at any one time. This shows how the employment market is growing and there are more jobs available that at almost any time before.”