Unemployment in the Lewes constituency is down and this is being replicated nationally, with the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance at its lowest level since January 2009, according to Lewes’s MP Norman Baker.

The most recent unemployment figures show that the number of those unemployed in the Lewes constituency has fallen by 908 from October last year. The number of people in work nationwide has increased by 378,000 in the last year to a record breaking 29.95m

The unemployment rate has also fallen to 7.6%, down 0.2% and figures also show that unemployment has dropped by 48,000 in the last year, and long term unemployment has reduced by 19,000 in the last three months.

Norman says: “It is pleasing to see we appear to be coming out of the economic downturn, both at a national level and in the local area. Nevertheless, we must of course not be complacent and have to continue to stimulate job creation because times continue to be tough, but these local unemployment figures, which have been replicated nationally, are encouraging. 

“The Liberal Democrats in Government have helped business create more than a million private sector jobs, and now we are working to help create a million more. This recovery would not be happening without the Liberal Democrats in Government.”