NEW figures show there were 16,148 people claiming unemployment benefits in the last quarter, an increase of 13 per cent on the year.
It is the second time that the three-monthly statistics, known as the alternative claimant count, have been calculated at local level by the Department for Work and Pensions.
They are intended to more accurately reflect the number of unemployed people following the roll out of Universal Credit.
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The data also shows that the number of claimants has fallen by 36 per cent in the last five years.
Regionally there were 121,150 people claiming unemployment benefits across Yorkshire and Humber, a rise of 3 per cent on the previous year.
Nationally the figure was 1,072,773, an increase of 5 per cent on the same point in 2018.
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