Out-of-work claimants number remains steady

THE number of D u ndon ia n s who a re c l a i m i n g o u t- o f- wo r k benefits is continuing to remain steady at a rate slightly above the Scottish average.

Figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show 4,255 people are on Jobseeker’s Allowance or are given Universal Credit payments on the condition they look for work.

It equates to approximately 4.3% of Dundee’s working-age population, compared with just over 3% of Scotland’s working-age population as a whole.

Employment i n Dundee has remained fairly steady in the last year, save for a spike in claimants when construction firm McGill entered administration at the start of 2019.

The collapse of McGill – and subsequently Land and Building Services, which had relied on its custom – saw hundreds of locals sign on. there had been a “minimal” yearon-year shift in the local jobs market despite the loss of major employers such as McGill.

She said: “There’s not really been a change, all of eight people.

“It’s been good going in a year considering everything that has gone on.

“What you have to remember is the statistics reflect up to November and we have seen a few restaurant closures, for example Fatburger and Castlehill, since then, so there could be a change.”

Across Scotland employment remains steady at 74.3%, and the Scottish unemployment rate currently sits at 3.8%.

Employment is slightly lower than across the UK as a whole, which sits at a “record” 76.3%.

David Freeman, of the Office of National Statistics, said: “The employment rate is at a new record high, with more than two-thirds of the growth in people in work in the last year coming from women working full-time.”