Nuneaton’s MP Marcus Jones has welcomed new figures today showing the number of people in Nuneaton claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit while not in employment has fallen by 305 - a 55 per cent drop – since 2010.

The official statistics show that Britain’s economic plan continues to create jobs and increase pay packets for families in Nuneaton and across the country. At 73.7 per cent our employment rate has never been higher and we are moving towards the goal of full employment that we committed to in our manifesto.

The figures also show that average pay growth is now 3 per cent – while inflation is close to flat – meaning working people across Nuneaton are seeing their wages grow; and our plan for a high-employment and high wage economy is working.

This is being seen across the West Midlands, with 142,000 more people in work since the last Labour Government - and in the UK as a whole 2.1 million more people now have the security of a job than did in 2010.

Commenting, Marcus said: ‘These figures are excellent news, showing the number of people in Nuneaton who are out of work has fallen below 1,000.

‘With full-time employees making up three quarters of the increase in employment over the past year and wages rising 3 per cent, it is clear that our plan for a high-employment and high-wage economy is working – and we can see that here in Nuneaton.

‘But we cannot rest and I know there is more to do. Nationally, we have over 700,000 job vacancies showing we have an opportunity to help unemployed people back into work. We must guarantee our economy creates new jobs by ensuring we have a government that lives within its means and our economic recovery is sustained.’

‘I will continue to do all I can to help businesses to grow and to encourage the fewer than 1,000 people now out of work here in Nuneaton into employment.’