YOUTH unemployment in Barnsley fell by almost half in the last year, latest unemployment figures show.
The monthly figures show the number of people claiming job seekers allowance in Barnsley increased slightly from November to December, from 3,742 to 3,755 but compared to figures in December 2013, the number has fallen by 34 per cent.
Only 2.5 per cent of Barnsley's working age population is now on job seekers allowance, which is lower than the Yorkshire and Humber average of 2.7 per cent but trailing behind the national average of 1.9 per cent.
The figures signal good news for youth unemployment in the town which has seen the number of 18 to 24-year-olds claiming job seekers allowance drop by 43 per cent in the 12 months to December.
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated January 23. **
