UNEMPLOYMENT in Dudley is falling according to official statistics which show a drop of around a quarter since last year.

The latest figures reveal in the Dudley North parliamentary constituency the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) in December dropped by 601 to 1,960 compared to last year.

In neighbouring Dudley South the fall is 638, which means 1,570 people in the constituency are claiming JSA.

The fall in the figures is no fluke according an expert who says new opportunities have been available with a variety of big employers including West Midlands Ambulance Service, pub chain JD Wetherspoon, retail giant Intu and Jaguar Landrover.

Tracey Hateley, employment engagement manager from Jobcentre Plus, said: “There is a broad spectrum, a lot of vacancies asking for different levels of skills and vacancies with wage levels from the minimum wage upwards.

“There are a lot of good jobs, if you look at the quality of employers a lot of people are moving into sustained work. By joint working with colleges and employers we are upskilling workers with short-term intense periods of training.”