Jobless figures show county is in ‘good health’ (From Bicester Advertiser)

Jobless figures show county is in ‘good health’

9:30am Thursday 18th October 2012 in News

A BUSINESS leader has welcomed latest figures which show the number of people signing on the dole in the county has fallen again.

Nigel Wild, president of the Oxfordshire Chamber of Commerce, said it was a sign the county’s economy was in good health.

He added: “We do seem to be doing particularly well in the county with fewer premises shut and a good rate of start-up businesses, which is great to see.

“Government policy is also having an effect on the benefits culture and people are realising the gravy train is not going to go on forever.”

Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show a total of 6,700 people claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance in Oxfordshire in September, a drop of 189 on the previous month.

It is the seventh consecutive monthly fall and the claimant count continues to be at its lowest rate since December 2008.

The figure fell in every district of the county with the biggest fall in Oxford, where there were 150 fewer people signing on.

Nationally, the number dropped by 4,000 to 1.57 million, the lowest figure since July last year.