Jobless figure falls across region

The expected decline underlines recent reports suggesting more people are finding work amid a gradual recovery in the UK's economy.

The number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance also fell by 32,600 from July to August to 1.4 million, said the Office for National Statistics. Figures for unemployment and jobseeker's allowance claimants differ because not everyone classed as unemployed is eligible to claim.

In Wolverhampton, which has the highest unemployment rate in the region, the claimant count fell by 230 to 11,770, or 7.4 per cent of the city's working population.

In Walsall the fall was 128 to 9,213, or 5.5 per cent; Dudley was down 169 to 9,414 (4.9 per cent) and Sandwell 408 to 12,339 (6.3 per cent).

Cannock Chase was down 88 to 1,800 (2.8 per cent), Lichfield 36 to 1,101 (1.8 per cent) and South Staffordshire 43 to 1,497 (2.2 per cent).

Stafford's total of claimants however rose by a dozen to 1,510 (1.8 per cent).

The tend of a fall was also seen in Wyre Forest with numbers down 47 to 2,072 (3.5 per cent)

But the West Midlands remains the second worst affected area for unemployment in the UK, with 267,000 of the region's adults out of work - down by 5,000.

At 9.8 per cent, the West Midland's unemployment rate is way above the national average of 7.7 per cent.

The rate has taken on new significance because it is tied to the Bank of England governor Mark Carney's new forward guidance policy.

The Bank has said it will not consider raising rates from their record low until the unemployment rate falls to 7% - which it forecasts will take around three years - barring a spike in inflation.

Meanwhile the number of people working part-time because they cannot find a full-time job has surged to 1.45 million - the highest since records began in 1992. It has doubled over the past five years, the ONS said.