THE number of East Lancashire people claiming unemployment benefit rose last month – despite a national fall in jobless figures.
In March, there were 12,106 people in the area claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA), a rise of 59 on February’s figure of 12,047.
All six of East Lancashire’s boroughs recorded a rise in claimants as public sector job losses and other cuts began to make their mark.
However, UK unemployment – which includes all out-of-work benefits – fell by 17,000 to 2.48million to the end of February, with 983,000 16 to 24-year-olds officially jobless.
The North West was one of six of the 12 UK regions where the number of unemployed people rose.
The JSA figures for March in East Lancashire were: Blackburn with Darwen 3,992; Burnley 2,391; Pendle 1,933; Hyndburn 1,914; Rossendale 1,413; Ribble Valley 463.
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