Jobless total drops for the South-East

Hand in hand with this, the number of unemployed in the area has dropped by 57,000 year on year.

Employment Minister Esther McVey said: “All of our reforms are focussed on helping people into work. The South East now has the lowest claimant count rate in the UK at just 1.6%, which shows that the Government’s long-term economic plan to help businesses create jobs and get people working again is proving successful.

“Behind today’s figures there are countless individual stories of people turning their lives around, of families who are now feeling more secure with a regular wage, and of young people escaping unemployment and building a career.

“We know there is always more to do, which is why it is vital to stick to delivering a plan for full employment that’s creating growth and jobs.”

Overall across the UK, young people (18-24) saw the largest annual fall in unemployment since records began – falling by over a quarter of a million since last year.

Excluding those in full-time education, there are now 468,000 unemployed young people. This is down by nearly a third compared to last year and lower than just before the recession.

The number of young people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance fell again, for the 34th month in a row. There are now fewer young JSA claimants than at any time in two generations – having dropped by 123,000 in the past year.