Kelly Tolhurst has welcomed this week’s record-breaking figures showing that there are more people in work than ever before, with 320,000 more people in work across 4,512,000. Since 2010, there are over 2.7 million more people across the United Kingdom in work, meaning that more families in Rochester and Strood have the security of a regular pay packet.
In Rochester and Strood, the number of people claiming the key out of work benefits has fallen by 908 - a 42% per cent drop – since 2010.
These figures show that the record high employment rate has been fuelled by full-time work, which has accounted for three quarters of the employment growth since 2010, and that average wages grew by 2.4 per cent over the last year.
On the news Kelly said:
‘Today’s figures show that employment is growing across all the regions and nations of the United Kingdom as we build a Britain that works for everyone not just the privileged few.
‘The number of people in Rochester and Strood relying on the key out of work benefits has fallen by908 since 2010 – a 42% drop. Nevertheless, we aren’t complacent which is why we’re pressing ahead with welfare reforms like Universal Credit making sure that it always pays for people to be in work.
‘With the employment rate at a record high, the unemployment rate at its lowest level in over 10 years, and wages up whilst inflation has remained low, we are making sure that everyone can share in the country’s wealth.’