THE CONTROVERSIAL Universal Credit roll-out continues affect jobless figures.

Monthly Department of Work and Pensions data shows that 290 people in the Whitchurch area claimed unemployment benefits in September, compared to 160 last year.

There are also more claimants in Shropshire, with 2,655 recorded last month as opposed to 2,000 in September 2017.

More people going onto Universal Credit is understood to account for the most of the increase in unemployment claimant numbers.

Nick Woolley, Jobcentre Plus district employer manager, said: "Universal Credit offers tailored support, which includes more personalised help from a work coach.

"The new system is also more flexible, which means people can take on short-term work to develop their skills and build up their experience."

UK-wide figures show that unemployment has fallen to four per cent.

The DWP says that real-terms wages are up for the seventh month in a row, rising to 0.7 per cent above inflation, while youth unemployment has halved since 2010.

The employment rate stands at 75.5 per cent across the UK, while the West Midlands total has increased by 78,000 since last year.

Alok Sharma, minister of state for employment, said:

“I am particularly encouraged that wages continue to be on the up, outpacing inflation for the seventh month in a row with regular pay up 3.1 per cent on the year – the fastest growth in almost a decade.

“And with unemployment at its lowest since the 1970s, since 2010 there are more people with the security of a job, more people with a regular salary, and more people able to support their families - and that is thanks to action this government has taken to build an economy that works for everyone.”