THE NUMBER of people claiming unemployment benefits in the region has dropped by more than a fifth in the last year.
New figures from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) shows 4045 claims were made by people searching for work in Dumfries and Galloway in May.
It is 1171 fewer than in the same month in 2020, representing a drop of 22.5 per cent. Furthermore, 691 – 17 per cent of all claims – were made by 18 to 24 year-olds, which is 252 fewer then last year.
However, the figures also reveal that the overall number of Universal Credit (UC) claimants has risen locally over recent months.
Dumfries and Galloway’s UC caseload jumped from 11,818 in May to 11,976 in June, representing an increase of 1.3 per cent.
