Perth and Kinross jobless rate lowest since 2010

The jobless rate in Perth and Kinross is at its lowest since 2010, it has been claimed.

Figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that unemployment figures for the area have fallen 46% since 2010, with a drop of 2% from this time last year.

And the situation is expected to improve further with seasonal jobs in the farming and tourism industries coming on the market in the next quarter of the year.

Moira Cambridge, DWP customer service operations manager for Perthshire and Angus, said: “The trend is that Perth and Kinross is outperforming the situation elsewhere.

“The 2% drop in claimant count in the past year goes against the wider picture for some areas, and that’s good news for people here.

“Over the six years, the figure has dropped 46% – nearly half – but we tend to look towards key indicators for our trends, such as longterm out of work, which has seen a 13% reduction since 2010 and 23% in the longer term.”

Ms Cambridge attributes some of this improvement down to staff at Perth and Kinross Jobcentreplus offices, where the approach has been to get people back to work.

And she pointed out that some DWP staff have been reclassed as work coaches. “The staff coaches help people progress in their career – that is from people starting out, perhaps after just leaving school or even working for the first time after being home-based, to those moving up or on in their career ladders.

“We assist people moving on in their jobs. We’re getting better outcomes for people.”