Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Sessions for jobless
Recruitment drives ongoing to get people back into work
Statistics released from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that there were 3,590 people claiming out-of-work benefits in the city in February, up from 3,405 the previous month — an increase of 5.4%.
Jane McEwen, a work service manager with the DWP based at Jobcentre Plus in the Wellgate, said the rise in unemployment could be linked to more claimants applying for universal credit, as those claimants may not have been classed as receiving out-of-work benefits in the past.
She said: “We have additional people who are possibly claiming what are now classed as out-of-work benefits, for example they may have been on working tax credits before but are now on universal credit.
“They would not have been included in our figures previously which can leave them skewed when comparing year-on-year. We will be finding people who were on festive employment at Christmas, who had been kept on, there will be people where that has come to an end unfortunately.”
Ms McEwen said there were recruitment drives ongoing in both the private and public sector, which the DWP was helping to roll out.
She said: “National Express, which owns Xplore Dundee, is recruiting for trainee bus drivers.
“They were looking for about 25 staff and we are helping to identify clients at the centre who might be suitable. There was a good turnout at our last group information session.
“We have also been working with the in February, 2 Sisters Group which has a requirement for 250 staff for its chicken processing plant in Coupar Angus.
“Again, we are holding group information sessions where customers are invited to come along and find out more about the roles from the employer. The employer has been very impressed with turnouts and is looking to arrange additional sessions.
“There are also 80 advertised roles with the new social security office which will be housed in Dundee.”
Elsewhere in Tayside, there was an increase in unemployment in Angus for the fifth month in a row, with the number of people claiming out-ofwork benefits rising to its highest rate since August 2013. In Perth and Kinross, unemployment rose for the fifth month running, with 55 more claimants compared with January.
RECRUITMENT drives are ongoing to help Dundonians into work as the latest figures revealed unemployment in the city has risen for the third consecutive month.