Fewer people on the dole in district

And the unemployment rate in Kirklees – 8.4 per cent – is among the lowest in West Yorkshire. The average is 9.7 per cent, while Bradford has the highest percentage of people unemployed at 11 per cent.

The number of people on the dole across the district stood at 11,290 last month compared to 12, 121 in August – a drop of 831.

Meanwhile, new jobseekers in Yorkshire will need to account more clearly for their efforts to find work in order to receive their benefit. New claimants to Jobseeker’s Allowance will now need to sign a Claimant Commitment which sets out more fully what they need to do in order to receive state support.

Work coaches will help claimants set out a detailed statement of what they will do to find work using a new personal work plan. Claimants will also use the plan to record what they have done.

Those who fail to do so without good reason risk losing their benefits.

District Manager for Jobcentre Plus in Yorkshire and the Humber, Stuart Griffiths, said: “We will expect jobseekers to be absolutely committed to getting into work and to set out the tasks they will complete to achieve that, and we will want to see evidence that is being completed.”

Employment Minister Esther McVey said: “The Claimant Commitment marks the start of a redefinition of the relationship between the welfare state and claimants.

“In return for state support, we expect claimants to do all they can to meet their responsibilities to return to work.”