Shock at increase in jobless claimants in county

WEST YORKSHIRE has faced “eye-watering” increases in jobless claimants since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the region’s most senior civil servants has claimed.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s director of policy Alan Reiss said job losses were spread unevenly around different age groups, warning many of those in their 50s might not ever re-enter the jobs market.

The meeting also heard how Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities in the region were disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 virus.

It follows a report published by WYCA officers recently, which showed the number of people in West Yorkshire claiming for universal credit rose by more than 40,000 during the first month of lockdown.

Mr Reiss told an online meeting of WYCA’s inclusive growth panel: “There has been an unprecedented increase in jobless claimants across the region, and some quite eye-watering figures.

“It isn’t flat across the whole population. Younger people have been particularly impacted and, for over-50s, there is a real concern that some of those people might not make it back into employment. The other big issue is the disproportionate impact it has had on black and minority ethnic populations, where the level of infection and mortality has been higher – we need to consider this in the recovery.”

He added that the amount of money to deal with these problems was currently small, adding that regional authorities such as WYCA should ask the government for extra help.

He said: “We need to put together and ask the Government and say ‘if you give us this much,this is what we will do with it to support the region’s recovery’.