West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has today welcomed the latest fall in unemployment claimants reported by the Office of National Statistics this week. Latest ONS figures show that the number of people in West Worcestershire claiming Job Seekers Allowance has fallen to 499, down from 795 last year. The number of people claiming JSA has more than halved since 2010, when 1279 people were out of work and claiming benefits. Nationally, since 2010 the number of people in work has increased by 2.05 million and unemployment has fallen by nearly 700,000. Harriett commented: “The continuing fall in the number of JSA claimants is very good news and it is testament to the increasing strength of our local economy. “Businesses are continuing to create new jobs and thousands more people in West Worcestershire now have the security of a regular pay packet. Wages are rising faster than inflation and with the widening of the personal tax threshold in April, working people now have more money to take home each month. “The long-term economic plan will help local business to thrive and grow and create more jobs to help secure a brighter future for West Worcestershire and Britain.”