The number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance* in Nottingham has fallen by over 50% in the last five years, thanks to support from Nottingham City Council and its partners
In 2012, the number of people claiming job seekers was 14,677 but by January 2017 that number has more than halved to under 7,000.
Figures released today by the Office of National Statistics shows that Nottingham’s unemployment rate fell to 6645 (confirmed figures) in November 2016 and 6535 (provisional figures) in December 2016.
The latest unemployment stats come as Nottingham City Council launches a new campaign aimed at making more people aware of the free support, advice and training available for jobseekers. The posters tell the stories of real jobseekers in the city who got a job or apprenticeship through the City Council’s ‘Nottingham Jobs’ service.
Ryan, 24 from Bulwell said: “I was unemployed, with a baby to provide for. My employment advisor helped me get an interview for a construction role at R&J Projects, and I had an interview the next day. The people I met at Nottingham Jobs were very friendly and helpful and gave me all the support I needed.”
Today’s figures mean that over the past 12 months, Nottingham has seen the biggest fall in unemployment of all of England’s core cities.
Unemployment in Nottingham City fell by 1% in the month of November and by 4.2% in the previous 12 months, whereas Birmingham, Bristol and Newcastle have all seen increases in unemployment over the last year
Figures for the wider ‘primary urban area’ of Nottingham, which includes towns such as Beeston, West Bridgford, Carlton, Arnold, and Hucknall, show unemployment fell by 1.2% for November and 2.2% over the year, the second biggest annual decline after Liverpool.
The national unemployment rate has been relatively stable at around 1.8% since May 2015. Over the same period, Nottingham’s rate has fallen from 3.6% to 3.0%, meaning the gap between the local and national unemployment rates has fallen to 1.2 percentage points.
The huge fall in Nottingham’s unemployment rate is due in part to partnership working under the Nottingham Jobs banner. Nottingham Jobs is a nationally unique partnership between Nottingham City Council, Job Centre Plus and Futures Advice. Since 2012, Nottingham Jobs has helped over 10,000 people into work or training.
Over the past five years, Nottingham Jobs concentrated work on helping as many people as possible to get into work and apprenticeships, has resulted in Nottingham falling dramatically in its unemployment rate and NEET figures – the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.
Just last year, 4,809 people, including 2,300 local residents were helped into employment and 915 young people into apprenticeships supported through Nottingham Jobs. In 2016, over 550 employers were supported by Nottingham Jobs, and given help to create apprenticeships and new roles.
Councillor Sam Webster, the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Education, Employment and Skills, said: “The latest reduction in unemployment is very positive. Nottingham is leading the way and doing things differently to make a real change and these figures show that our approach is working.
“We’ve made a commitment in the Council Plan for 2015-2019 to guarantee a job, training place or further education place for every 18 to 24 year old in the city. We want to make sure the people of Nottingham have first access to jobs, training and apprenticeships. Our message is simple. There is support for everyone.
“The role our partner organisations play is important to achieving this goal. The figures show that closer partnership working between agencies locally – the Job Centre, Futures and the Council’s Nottingham Jobs team – is having a really encouraging impact. Unemployment is falling faster in Nottingham than all other major English cities. And with the help of local businesses we can continue to create more opportunities for local people.”
For more information on finding work, training or an apprenticeship visit – www.nottinghamjobs.com/