UNEMPLOYMENT in the Malvern Hills increased slightly in January, but has dropped significantly since this time last year.

Monthly figures show there 500 people in the district – 320 men and 180 women – were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance last month – 1.1 per cent of working-age people.

Although this is up by 14 since December, the overall amount has fallen by 236 from 736 since January 2014.

Employment in the district suffered a blow earlier this week after technology company Dytecna, based at Malvern Hills Science Park, folded, with the loss of 95 jobs in Malvern and 55 at its other sites in Wales and Hampshire.

But these are not taken into account in January’s job figures.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin said Jobcentre representatives would be on hand at Malvern Science Park on Friday, February 20 to advise Dytecna employees.

"It is clear that the job market is at its strongest for years," she said.

"The employment rate is the highest since records began in 1971 and wages are rising.

"Let's hope the impressive staff at Dytecna are quickly re-hired by other growing firms who are reporting record numbers of vacancies."

Business development manager for the Department for Work and Pensions covering Worcestershire Mike Dzioba said the amount of people out of work traditionally increases in January as temporary Christmas positions come to an end.

“If you look at the previous month it will show an increase, but looking at it year on year in Worcester the figure is down 38 per cent since last year,” he said.

“Looking at the country as a whole the figures show the economy is on the upturn and that’s predicted to continue.

“In the West Midlands since 2010 private sector employment is up 150,000 and up 54,000 since last year.”

The picture was similar across Worcestershire as a whole, where 5,035 people – 1.4 per cent of the working-age population – were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance last month, up from 4,746 in December but down from 8,017 in January 2014.

Across the country as a while the amount of people registering as unemployed dropped by 97,000 to 1.86 million – down almost 500,000 since January 2014.

But leader of the GMB union Paul Kenny said the majority of new jobs being created were low skilled and poorly paid with very little job security.

“Even skilled workers in the UK face being undercut while wages are stagnant or falling in real terms,” he said.

"Most workers have seen little or no evidence of any recovery in living standards due to the Tories wasting their time in office by not promoting real economic growth based on investment and productivity gains."

In the West Midlands the figure stood at 169,000, or 6.1 per cent of the working-age population, a drop of 32,000.

The UK now has the third lowest unemployment rate in the European Union at 5.7 per cent, behind Austria at 4.9 per cent and Germany at 4.8 per cent.