Jobs events staged as unemployment rises

The Jobcentre Plus teams have been working with the Feeding Britain’s Future initiative to give people an insight into what it takes to get work in the groceries industry.

Karl Worsley employer and partnerships manager from Jobcentre Plus said they had found work for 42 people in recent weeks.

He said: “We had 205 customers in grocery trade related presentations talking about what it takes and what skills are needed to work in that sector.

“We have had Marks and Spencer in talking about how they recruit and what they are looking for. We have also been working with Fleetwood Town who have their Cross Bar and Grill. They let some of our customers go in to see what it is all about.

“We are also working with Layla’s Fine Foods who are recruiting and Foxes’ Biscuits.”

He added that they would be holding an event at the Queen Street Jobcentre on November 9 for older unemployed people called Experience Pays and another for the car sector on November 15.

He said: “We are also likely to see more jobs in the Civil Service with Universal Credits at Ryscar House, Faraday Way as that benefit continues to grow.”

The events come as the latest job figures are released.

Nationally the Office of National Statistics said unemployment has increased by 10,000 to 1.66 million even though the number of people in work is at record levels.

The claimant count, including those on Jobseeker’s Allowance, rose last month by 700 to 776,400 – the sixth rise in the last seven months.

But employment was up by 106,000 in the latest quarter to almost 32 million, the highest since records began in 1971.

Locally the picture between August and September showed a slight rise in the number of people claiming work age benefits.

In Blackpool South there were 1,970 claimants, 3.9 per cent of the population a figure up 0.2 per cent on the same period last year.

Blackpool North and Cleveleys had 1,405 claimants 2.8 per cent of the population and the same rate as last year.

Fylde had 645 people claiming while Lancaster and Fleetwood had 870 claimants both the same rate as last year. Wyre and Preston North had 395 claimants also a zero percent change on last year.