Unemployment rises for Watford's young people (From Watford Observer)

Unemployment rises for Watford's young people

11:39am Wednesday 17th March 2010 in News By Michael Pickard

Unemployment in Watford increased last month, new figures have revealed.

The number of people claiming Job Seekers' Allowance rose from 2,273 in January to 2,292 in February this year, which represents 3.5 per cent of the town's working age population.

However, despite the small increase of 19 people, the figures from the National Office of Statistics reveal the number of claimants decreased in all age categories except those under 25.

An additional 25 people aged 18 to 24 and under signed on last month, an increase from 535 to 560.

In the same month, there were 3,140 people aged 25 to 49 who claimed the benefit, down ten, while the figure for claimants over 50 remained at 390.

Sal Brinton, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Watford, said more must be done to help young people find work.

She said: “While it is a relief that unemployment for the over-25s seems to have halted in Watford, it is very worrying that youth unemployment continues to rise.

“Every single young person who has signed on needs support, and now. It is wrong that the Labour Government help available for under 25s doesn’t start until they’ve been unemployed for months.”