West Lothian has seen a 40 per cent drop in the number of jobseekers in the last year.
New figures also show a near 50 per cent drop in young people aged 18 to 24 who are also looking for work.
The stats from JobCentre Plus show a 47 per cent reduction in young jobseekers and 41 per cent less customers overall.
There were 591 less jobseekers aged 18 to 24 from last year’s figure of 658 and 2,576 less from last year (3,661) in total.
Paula MacBrayne, employer and partnership manager for West Lothian said Jobcentre Plus is recruiting ‘on the spot’ for key industries.
She said: “With a record level of vacancies available, employers are turning to their local jobcentre for expert help in matching jobseekers with their seasonal and permanent vacancies.
“Right now it’s our top priority to work with employers and jobseekers to match the right job with the right person.
“Hosting recruitment events in our offices has enabled a growing number of businesses to offer jobseekers jobs on the spot, especially in key industries such as Social Care.
“An Employability Event was held in Livingston Jobcentre at the end of May, three employers and three support organisations were in attendance. Between the three employers a total of 18 of our customers are progressing into work, others have signed up for additional support with their journey towards employment.”
Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP said: “Today the unemployment rate remains close to a 50 year low, and still well below pre-pandemic levels, with almost 2million more women in work than 2010. That’s fantastic news, but there’s more to do.
“Work is the best way for people to provide for their families – those going into full time employment could be at least £6000 better off than out of work on benefits. That’s why we’ve launched the Way to Work campaign to get half a million more people into jobs.
“From job opportunities in Jobcentres to Sector Based Work Academy Programmes for people considering a new industry, there’s a huge amount of help out there, and our Work Coaches are working tirelessly to get people at any age, or career stage, into fulfilling and stable employment.
“We’re also focused on helping people on the lowest incomes with the rising cost of living, including through changes to Universal Credit and rise in the National Living Wage.
Minister for Welfare Delivery, David Rutley MP said: “Universal Credit continues to support 5.6 million people on low incomes as the UK Government responds to rising costs. We know it’s a challenging time for many, and that’s why we’re also introducing a one-off cost of living payment for over eight million households to help ease financial pressures. £650 will be paid in two instalments, with the first payment landing in people’s bank accounts in July.”
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack added: “With more Scottish workers on the payroll than before the pandemic and unemployment at historically low levels, today’s figures show a strong Scottish labour market.
“The UK Government has always supported people across the UK when they’ve needed it. During the pandemic, UK Government loans to businesses saved up to 500,000 UK businesses and 2.9 million jobs. Now, as global issues put pressure on the cost of living, we are helping people into work and to progress in work, and to keep more of what they earn. We are also putting in place a £37bn financial support package.
“This sits alongside the UK government’s focus on growing our economy, by investing in communities across the UK, and creating more well-paid and highly skilled jobs.”
Jobcentre Plus has a number employers on site on a daily basis to host job interviews with customers and also organise regular recruitment events to encourage our customers to engage with employers from a wide range of employment sectors.
As part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs initiative, the Sector-Based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) provides an opportunity for job ready customers to learn new skills and get experience of working in a particular industry, for example care, construction, or hospitality.
For more information speak to your Work Coach for further information or follow the local team on Twitter for details of local vacancies with @JCPinLothBorder
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