There are now 20,563 people claiming jobseeker’s allowance in the Liverpool city region – a fall of 3.4%

jobless

The number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance in the Liverpool city region has continued to fall – despite unemployment rising nationally for the first time in more than two years.

However, there was a slowing in the fall of the number of Merseyside claimants from May to June compared to previous months.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ON) shows the claimant count in the six local authority areas fell by 3.4% to 20,563. From April to May the fall was 4.3%.

Liverpool saw the biggest fall in jobseekers claimants of 395 followed by Sefton (124), Wirral (85), Halton (41), St Helens (37) and Knowsley (31).

Recent research published by Liverpool Vision forecast that the rate of jobs growth over the next five years would slow, offset by a rise in productivity and wages.

The ONS figures showed that number of people without a job across the UK increased by 15,000 to 1.85m in the three months to May.

It was the first quarterly increase in the unemployment number since the three months to March 2013.

ONS statistician Nick Palmer said: “It’s possible that the rate of improvement in the labour market that we have seen over the last three years may have eased off, though it is too early to be certain.”

The data showed that pay rises continued to accelerate, with average weekly earnings up by 3.2% year-on-year.