UNEMPLOYMENT across the Bradford district has risen in the last month, but is still down on six months ago.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that there were a total of 22,095 people claiming out of work benefits in Bradford in October.

This is a rise of 1.5 per cent on the adjusted figure for September which was 21,760. It is also a rise of 2.2 per cent on the data from one year ago, but a drop of 2.6 per cent on April 2023.

The current claimant count rate is 6.5 per cent, compared to 4.0 regionally and 3.7 per cent nationally.

Bal Singh, Jobcentre Manager for Bradford, said a Jobs Fair being held on November 22 aims to help local people.

He said: “28 employers have signed up to attend the event, they will be promoting numerous vacancies that are currently available across a wide range of employment sectors.”

He added: “Now is a great time for jobseekers to give their career aspirations a kick-start.

“One way is to apply for some of the hundreds of Christmas jobs being advertised locally, as a stepping stone to get back into the work routine, while developing new skills and sharpening existing ones.”