A pool of 'missing' Bradford people who fail to claim benefit despite being out of work are being targeted to take up thousands of new jobs in the construction sector.

Officials at Bradford's JobCentre Plus said that the real level of unemployment in the city could be up to two per cent higher than the official 3.3 per cent. It is thought that many people - particularly in the Asian community - are failing to register as unemployed.

At a job fair held at the Midland Hotel in Bradford, officials estimated that about a quarter of the 900 jobseekers who attended were not registered as claiming benefits.

And JobCentre Plus officials are also puzzled by how few of the 800 workers made redundant when Laisterdyke textile company Whiteheads shut down in 2001 have signed-on.

The pool of unemployed people is expected to grow in the coming months as workers who lose their jobs at piston manufacturer Federal Mogul join the hunt for new posts.

Stacey Jobson, marketing executive at JobCentre Plus in Bradford, said the challenge was to train these people to ensure they would be in a position to take advantage of an anticipated jobs boom.

Officials estimate there will be thousands of jobs in the construction sector in the next five years as £1 billion of investment comes to the district.

"Training is our biggest concern," said Miss Jobson. "All these construction jobs are coming on board, but we don't have people in place who can do them. We are looking at what training we can put on for those people in that area."

She said the reasons for the high number of people looking for work but not claiming benefit were unclear.

However, it is thought some members of the Asian community choose to get support from their families rather than apply for benefits. The unemployment rate among Bradford Asians is believed to be three to four times higher than that in the white population.

"That is an issue that we are trying to look out and we have a team of outreach workers who are going into these communities to meet the people who are reluctant to sign on," she said.

Miss Jobson said the JobCentre Plus was also keen to persuade those who might not have used the facility for a number of years to return and take a fresh look at its approach and the services it has to offer.

JobCentre Plus business development manager Ian Hastings said a lot of progress had been made in cutting unemployment in Bradford in recent years, with about 1,000 fewer people claiming benefits now than 12 months ago.

The jobs boom is expected to be created with the development of projects such as the Broadway scheme and the refurbishment of thousands of former Council-owned homes. For more information about the services on offer at JobCentre Plus, call (01274) 338000.