Fewer benefit usersin region

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire have bucked a trend for Scottish unemployment after yearondrops of 7% and 13% respectively in the benefit claimant count during October.

Granite City Jobcentre Plus manager Carol Sadler said yesterday the latest jobless total for Europe’s oil and gas capital was 3,215, while the shire had 2,035.

Unemployment among 18 to 24-year-olds was also down in both areas, by 1% to 555 in Aberdeen and by 11% to 420 in the shire.

Some people are now in work after nearly 1,200 attended a job fair in October, Ms Sadler said, adding 33 employers were at the event looking to fill more than 550 vacancies.

“Generally employment ishighin Inverness”

Thirty new jobs will be created by the opening of a new bar in Aberdeen’s Marischal Square in February, while an Edinburghagency is seeking people with a range of skills for work on the expansion of Aberdeen harbour, she said.

Alan MacGillivray, customer service leader at Jobcentre Plus in Inverness, said the number of people out of work and/ or claiming jobseeker’s allowance and universal credit in the Highland capital totalled 1,560, of which 285 were 18 to 24-year-olds.

The latest jobless figures for Inverness represent increases of 63% for all claims and 50% for 18 to 24-year-olds since a year ago, although the way they are calculated has changed.

Mr MacGillivray said: “Generally employment is high in Inverness and unemployment is low.”

Scottish unemployment rose by 4,000 to 108,000 during the three months to September, while the UK total fell by 59,000 to 1.42million.