Jobless statistics remain at same rate

The percentage of people in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency claiming jobseekers allowance stayed static for a fourth straight month in April.

Figures realised by the Office of National Statistics showed a rate of 2.4 per cent, just above the Scottish average of 2.2 per cent and UK average of 1.8 per cent.

The actual figure fell from 1,660 in March to 1,630 last month.

It was the ninth straight month where the figure was below 2,000 with the figure dropping by over 20 per cent in a year.

Across South Lanarkshire, the number of people claiming JSA fell from 5,252 in April 2015 to 3,409 a year later — a drop of 35 per cent.

Across Scotland, the number of people claiming JSA dropped from 80,632 to 60,446 — a fall of 25 per cent.

A spokesperson for the Department of Work and Pensions said: “On- year comparison shows a fantastic picture, with a 35 per cent reduction.”