Today, Statistics Jersey have released the latest Actively Seeking Work (ASW) figures, which show there are now 810 jobseekers registered as actively seeking work.
Whilst this is 180 fewer than a year ago, it is 190 more than last quarter. This is largely due to parents who are now registered as jobseekers: historically, each September, there is a significant increase in ASW numbers when parents whose youngest child has started nursery are required to seek employment in line with the Income Support legislation.
Through the various campaigns within the Government’s Back to Work programme, this number continues to remain below that of previous years. The Government’s Back to Work team have a number of initiatives in place and are helping more than 100 newly registered jobseekers by actively supporting them into roles through:
• A dedicated advisor with one-to-one support and coaching from trained employment advisors
• Proactive job-matching with the Back to Work recruitment team
• Employment incentives and paid training schemes
• Foundations – a supported work programme run by Back to Work to help jobseekers with barriers to work and increase their skills and employability through working on community projects
• Self-employed service for self-employed customers whose income is not sufficient for them to be considered ‘full time employed equivalent’
• Training – a programme to support personal or work-related barriers to employment
Assistant Minister for Social Security, Deputy Malcolm Ferey, said: "The latest actively seeking work figures for this quarter are encouraging in that they demonstrate that the overall trend is downward. The opportunities for parents returning to the workplace are better than they have been for some considerable years as our employment market in many sectors remains strong.
"The Back to Work team can help with creating CVs, building confidence with interviews and updating digital skills for those that are now ready to return to employment or increasing their weekly working hours."
Government of Jersey News Release