Rise in the number of unemployed young people in Fife

The number of young people claiming out-of-work benefits in Fife has risen since March, according to new figures.

The total number of 18-24 year olds claiming Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance has increased over the last three months.

In June, 990 young people in the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath parliamentary constituency were claiming out-of work benefits – that’s 14 per cent of the area’s 18 to 24 year old population.

The latest figures show the numbers claiming these benefits has risen by six per cent, from eight per cent in March when the coronavirus outbreak began.

A total of 990 of the constituency’s 7045 18 to 24 year olds had claimed for out-of-work benefits in June.

The figures were similar in the Glenrothes constituency, with 14 per cent of the young population out of work in June compared to nine per cent in March.

A total of 925 of the area’s 6639 population between the ages of 18 and 24 are claiming the benefits.

Meanwhile in Dunfermline and West Fife, numbers rose from seven per cent to 12 per cent – a total of 820 young people are now unemployed.

In North East Fife, there are now 415 young people claiming unemployment benefits – that’s three per cent of the 12054 people who are aged 18 to 24 in the area.

This is compared to just one per cent of the youth population receiving the benefits back in March.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed a £2 billion 'kickstart scheme' to create more jobs for young people earlier this month.

The fund will subsidise six-month work placements for people on Universal Credit aged between 16 and 24 and who are at risk of long-term unemployment.

Across the UK, 2.6 million people are currently claiming Universal Credit or Jobseekers' Allowance and are required to "seek work."

A fifth of those - 514,770 young people - are aged between 18 and 24.

The number of young new claimants who have signed on between March and June is 276,000 - more than doubling over three months.

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