BOLTON’S job market is “heading in the right direction” after figures revealed the unemployment rate has dropped by nearly 10 per cent from last year.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions the alternative claimant count as of May 21 was 14,464 unemployed people in the borough, down nine per cent on the previous year after the first lockdown.
Unlike universal credit figures, which represent people who have part-time work or who may be ill, the alternative claimant count records people who are unemployed and searching for work.
Youth unemployment is also down, with a total of 2,616 people aged 18-24 looking for work, a decrease of nine per cent.