Greg Hands MP has welcomed new figures showing that the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in Chelsea and Fulham has fallen by 385 over the last year, with employment up overall in London by 376,000 since 2010.
Since the last General Election, the number of Chelsea and Fulham residents on unemployment benefits has fallen by 678.
Greg said: “It’s great news there are now 385 fewer people on Job Seekers Allowance in Chelsea and Fulham than there were last year. That’s 385 people no longer needing benefits to get by, with a more secure, brighter future ahead of them.
“With the economy now recovering from Labour’s Great Recession, and businesses creating jobs, it’s clear the Conservatives’ long-term economic plan is working. We need to keep working through the plan, which is delivering growth and jobs, so that more people in Chelsea and Fulham who want to work hard and get on can have the security of a regular pay packet they can bring home to their families.”
The national picture is also positive, as this week the ONS released the labour market statistics for the three months to April 2014, including figures on claimant count and private sector employment for the first quarter of 2014. The figures reveal that employment levels have now reached 30.5 million, up 345,000 this quarter and up 1.69 million since the election, while the employment rate is now 72.9 per cent, 2.6 points higher since the election.
Greg added: “Private sector employment has also risen by more than two million since the election. This week’s figures show that, by various measures across the board, the country is doing better under this Conservative led coalition, than under the last Labour Government.”