THE number of people claiming unemployment benefits across Bradford district fell by more than 500 last month.

Office of National Statistics data, published today, showed 13,695 people claimed Job Seekers' Allowance (JSA) across the Bradford district in September, a reduction of 530 on the previous month.

September's figures for JSA claimants break down as 8,494 men, which is 5.2 per cent of the total adult male population for Bradford district, and 5,201 women, 3.2 per cent of the district's female total.

The number of people in the district aged 18 to 24 seeking work now stands at 3,510 people. This figure is a reduction of 1,790, from the 5,300 figure recorded from 12 months ago, a drop of around 30 per cent.

This leaves 4.2 per cent of those eligible still claiming the benefit, above the Yorkshire and the Humber average of 2.9 per cent and the UK average of 2.2 per cent.

Those claiming Job Seekers' Allowance in Bradford for up to six months is 6,455, six to 12 months is 2,340 and more than 12 months the figure is 4,890.

Diana Towler, employer and partnership manager for Bradford Jobcentres, said areas of work which have seen a boost in employment levels include the service industry, such as catering and social and health care work.

She said: "We are really pleased by the latest figures.

"It looks like the economy is beginning to recover.

"We have had over 700 young people start work experience in Bradford since April.

"Because the labour market in Bradford is small and medium level employers, we have to support these businesses to grow and then create more jobs.

"We are working closely with Westfield and Bradford Council to do with the Broadway development and how we can work together to be able to move people who are unemployed into the jobs that are going to be created there. We are looking at setting up a type of training academy to pick local people with the skills for the jobs there.

"We also need to do this for employers in Bradford City Centre.

"There is still a lot of work to be done in the Bradford district with the unemployment rates."

Meanwhile, nationally, the unemployment rate for the UK stands at 1.97 million, a reduction of 154,000 in the three months to August 2014.

The rate of unemployment also fell again, to six per cent, the lowest since late 2008.

The number of people claiming Job Seekers' Allowance nationally last month fell by 18,600 to 951,000

In Yorkshire and Humberside, there are 48,000 more people in work than this time last year, for the period June to August.

Meanwhile, the total of unemployed claimants in Keighley and Ilkley fell by 53 in September to 1,485 - 620 fewer than 12 months ago.

Unemployment in Bradford East has fallen by 222 people, building on the continuing fall in unemployment to a level below that when Labour left Government in May 2010.

In the Bradford East constituency, the number of people claiming JSA was 3,887, a drop of 222 from the previous month. It is also 1,307 lower than in September last year.