THERE has been a fall in the number of people out of work claiming benefits in Worcestershire despite a big rise in unemployment nationally.

The number of people of working age and claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance fell by 304 last month to 11,230 by the end of October.

In Worcester, claimant numbers fell by 84 people to 2,395, and fell back slightly in Malvern Hills and Wychavon.

And the number of young people aged between 16 and 24 in the county claiming also fell slightly 3,415 which is a drop of just over 150.

In November last year, total claimants stood at 10,660.

Nationally, the Office for National Statistics’ new figures painted a bleaker picture with more than a million young people now out of work.

It means youth unemployment is the highest since comparable records began in 1991.

Total unemployment is also up nationally, running at 2.62 million, with claimants up to 1.6 million - the highest for nearly two years.

In the West Midlands, which includes Worcestershire, the jobless total rose nine per cent on the month.

Detailed scrutiny of the figures showed a rise in the number of young people claiming for more than a year, rising by a quarter to 195.

However, the number of people claiming for more than six months fell back slightly.