The number of people claiming job seeker’s allowance in Aylesbury has risen for the first time in a year, increasing by 66 to stand at 910, or 0.8% of the working-age population.
However, the January 2015 figure still compares favourably to the South East average of 1.2% and the national average of 2%.
Unemployment had been steadily falling in the Vale since January 2014. It reached a peak during the economic downturn in May 2009 when there were 2,501 (2.2%) claimants.
Out of the 910 people claiming job seeker’s, 615 have been doing so for less than six months, with only 160 claiming for more than a year. Eighteen per cent of those claiming are aged 18-24.