A drop in the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Chelmsford is 'encouraging' according to a senior Job Centre manager.
The recent figures show that 1,801 people claimed the allowance during April this year compared to 1,821 in March.
Although this is only a small drop, David Cope, a senior business manager for Essex Jobcentre Plus, said: "I think the figures continue to be quite encouraging.
"If you look at the whole of Essex there has been quite a significant reduction.
"Some of that is down to the time of year, summer is a good time to recruit.
"We are quite pleased as it shows a good trend.
"Chelmsford is an ongoing success story really, there is a very buoyant labour market and a huge amount of business coming through our doors at the moment.
"The drop is not huge this month but it remains encouraging."
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