Even more people back in work, latest figures show

During August there were 1,423 people in the town claiming unemployment benefit, but this has fallen to 1,394 in September.

Julie Marshall, Swindon Job Centre Plus manager, said: “With the children now back at school a lot of parents are looking to get back into work.

“The job market in Swindon is thriving, particularly in the recruitment, manufacturing and logistics sectors. We have opportunities in courier driving which is partly due to the opening of a small Amazon delivery depot here.

“There are opportunities in construction for people with skills and experience. Our skills shortages are around chefs and carers.

“We have been involved with the Feeding Britain’s Future programme which gives young people an insight into work in food serve jobs from supermarkets to hospitality.

“We’re also working with the Prince’s Trust where we’ve been partnering with the local M&S and Morrisons to place people in their stores to train. We’re also working with Thames Water – they’re looking at candidates for their ‘Give Someone A Chance’ programme which provides an introduction to working in utilities. As usual we’ve been working with a wide range of employers throughout the month.”

The centre will be hosting a job fair for those out of work on October 12 from 10am.

The good news in Swindon is reflected across the country. The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show nearly 175,000 more people in work up until July, compared to the previous three months. There are now 31.77million people in work – up by more than 550,000 in the past year and by 2.7million since 2010.

Minister for Employment, Damian Hinds, said: “There’s good news in the South West where there are over 2.7 million people in work, with an employment rate of 77.3 per cent - one of the highest rates for any UK region. It’s important that we work to keep up this momentum so more people can make the most of opportunities available out there in the economy.”