JOBSEEKER numbers have fallen across all local authorities in Gwent, according to new data.

Labour Market Statistics were announced by the Office of National Statistics yesterday with Wales seeing a 0.5 percent fall in unemployment on the quarter.

According to Job Centre Plus, users in Newport, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Torfaen have declined.

The data is measured from August 2016 to August 2017 and is split between younger service users- 18 -24 - and the overall number of claimants or users aged 18 plus.

In Newport, 645 claimants were registered for job seekers allowance and universal credit - a decrease, year on year, of 10 per cent.

Around 2,650 people in total were also registered in Newport - another 10 per cent drop year on year.

In Torfaen, there was a 23 per cent drop of service users aged 18 -24, while collective figures recorded a drop of 16 per cent.

Monmouthshire job centre users aged 18-24 reduced by 11 per cent and collective figures year on year for all users, saw a 15 per cent drop.

Caerphilly’s 18-24s on roll dropped by six percent and overall service users also saw an 18 per cent drop.

In Blaenau Gwent, 18-24s number plummeted by 20 per cent and there was also a 19 per cent reduction in total service users.

Rachel Evans, of Newport Job Centre, welcomed the figures and added a jobs fair at Newport Leisure Centre yesterday, saw more than 900 jobseekers attend to meet around 40 employers and improve their prospects.

UK Government minister for employment, Damian Hinds, responding to Wales-wide figures, said: “There’s good news in Wales, where the unemployment rate fell 0.5 percentage points on the quarter and women’s unemployment has fallen by 0.8 percentage points on the quarter.

“But there is more to do, and we will continue to build on our achievements through our employment programmes and the work of Jobcentre Plus.”