Hampshire's unemployed rate among worst in country

10:36am Saturday 25th October 2008

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UNEMPLOYMENT is rising faster in parts of Hampshire than almost anywhere else in the UK, new figures have revealed.

The western corner of the New Forest has seen the third biggest increase in the country, with Fareham just one place behind.

The Office for National Statistics figures reveal that the number of jobseekers’ allowance claimants in the New Forest West constituency shot up by 61.3 per cent during the last year – the third highest rise in the country.

While there were 287 claimants in September last year, that figure rose to 463 last month.

New Forest West Conservative MP Desmond Swayne said: “My own antennae have picked up that a lot of small businesses are shedding people, and this is an area with a lot of small businesses.”

Many people from towns and villages in the constituency commute to Southampton and Bournemouth in financial services industry jobs.

There are also several building and construction companies in the area where jobs are at risk in the current financial climate.

“We’ve got all the ingredients for big hits. That would be my reaction,” said the MP.

The situation was flagged up in May by Ringwood human resources firm Jaluch, which said it was seeing a massive increase in the number of calls about redundancies.

Fareham had the fourth highest rise in unemployment in the UK, with a 60.5 per cent rise in claimants during the past year, from 430 to 690.

Fareham Council leader Sean Woodward said the percentage increase in Fareham’s unemployment figures was “irrelevant” when the overall numbers were relatively small.

However, he said that having 690 people out of work was still a worrying figure.

“Overall it is a concern. The country is sliding rapidly into recession due to Gordon Brown’s economic mismanagement and it is going to mean people losing their jobs.”

Other Hampshire constituencies also saw big rises in unemployment.

Nationally, Gosport was in eighth place with 50.1 per cent increase (from 639 to 959); New Forest East was in 21st place with a 44.1 per cent increase (from 438 to 631); Eastleigh was in 35th place with a 40.1 per cent increase (from 719 to 1,007);Winchester was in 48th place with a 37.1 per cent rise (from 475 to 651) and Romsey was in 84th place with a 31.7 per cent increase (from 426 to 561).

Meanwhile Southampton Itchen was in 122nd place with a 28.8 per cent increase (from 1,513 to 1,948) and Southampton Test was 24th with a 20.9 per cent increase (from 1,349 to 1,631).