Unemployment in Newham has risen by almost 9 per cent since October, while national unemployment figures fell.
Statistics published by the Office for National Statistics show that the total number of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants in the borough have risen from 10,343 in October 2010 to 11,364 in May 2011.
This means that Newham has the second highest number of claimants in London behind Lambeth who have 11,905.
The Department for Work and Pensions blame “a significant part of the rise” on former lone parents and incapacity claimants moving from their old benefits to JSA following government reforms.
But it is not all bad news as the number of long-term unemployed, defined as people who have been claiming JSA for more than a year, have fallen locally by 50 since November.
Nationally, youth unemployment has fallen again by 71,000 to 618,000, the lowest figure for 16-24-year-olds not in full time education since January 2009.
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