A MISERABLE year of jobs woe for Flintshire has been compounded with news there are now twice as many people claiming benefits in the county as 12 months ago – and women are being hit worse than men.
Figures released by the Office of National Statistics last week show the number of women claiming jobseekers’ allowance has broken through the 1,000 barrier for the first time, painting a gloomy picture of a county in which almost one in three unemployed people are female.
In September, 2008, the claimant count, which measures jobseekers’ allowance applicants, sat at 1,712. Of that figure, 1,216 were men and 496 women.
One year on the total number of JSA claimants is currently 3,594, with 2,570 men and 1,024 women out of work and drawing benefit.
Flintshire Council’s deputy leader Tony Sharps said the council’s efforts to keep people in employment are not dependent on their sex.
He said: “It is a concerning statistic but we can’t differentiate between men and women when it comes to targeting job losses. We just try to get the head of the household working.
“Unemployment has always been a cause for concern. As figures have been released throughout the year we have tried to make sure complacency is not contributing, and have worked hard to keep the numbers among the lowest in Wales,” he told the Leader.
“The last 12 months have been very difficult with the credit crunch affecting everyone in the UK, but we will continue to work towards making Flintshire one of the lowest unemployment areas in the principality.”
During June and July the number of men out of work fell by almost a hundred amid hopes of a recovery, but the following months saw the depressing pattern continue as further job losses resulted in the claimant count reaching its highest rate of the year.
Next month it is expected the total count will be as high as it has been since the record-breaking year of 1995.
Unemployment in Flintshire Sept 08-09
| |
Claimant count level |
|
Percentage |
| Month |
Men |
Women |
People |
|
Men |
Women |
People |
| September 09 |
2,570 |
1,024 |
3,594 |
|
5.3 |
2.3 |
3.9 |
| August 09 |
2,502 |
911 |
3,413 |
|
5.2 |
2.1 |
3.7 |
| July 09 |
2,412 |
838 |
3,250 |
|
5.0 |
1.9 |
3.5 |
| June 09 |
2,517 |
881 |
3,398 |
|
5.2 |
2.0 |
3.7 |
| May 09 |
2,574 |
893 |
3,495 |
|
5.3 |
2.0 |
3.8 |
| April 09 |
5,534 |
820 |
3,354 |
|
5.2 |
1.9 |
3.6 |
| March 09 |
2,216 |
732 |
2,948 |
|
4.6 |
1.7 |
3.2 |
| February 09 |
2,007 |
609 |
2,616 |
|
4.1 |
1.4 |
2.8 |
| January 09 |
1,651 |
568 |
2,219 |
|
3.4 |
1.3 |
2.4 |
| December 09 |
1,425 |
517 |
1,942 |
|
2.9 |
1.2 |
2.1 |
| November 09 |
1,347 |
499 |
1,846 |
|
2.8 |
1.1 |
2.0 |
| October 09 |
1,277 |
531 |
1,808 |
|
2.6 |
1.2 |
2.0
|
| September 09 |
1,216 |
496 |
1,712 |
|
2.5 |
1.1 |
1.9 |
Are you a woman who has lost your job due to the recession, or do you know anyone in this situation?
Why do you think the rate of females out of work is rising faster than the male rate?
Have your say on the statistics by leaving a comment below.