UNEMPLOYMENT has fallen in West Berkshire for the first time since the beginning of the recession.
The figures meant that the district bucked the national trend, with the number of dole claimants dropping for the first time in a year.
Figures released this week by the Office for National Statistics show that the number of people claiming unemployment benefit within the district during May was 2,402 – 17 fewer than in April when it reached its peak of 2,419.
Prior to these statistics, the last recorded fall in the district's unemployment figures was in May 2008, when only 770 people were claiming dole money.
Of those district residents currently unemployed, 1,679 are men (3.4 per cent of the population), and 723 are women (1.6 per cent of the population).
The district has fared well in comparison to the rest of the country too, as the number of people claiming unemployment benefit nationally rose by 39,000 in May – leaving the claimant count rate (4.8 per cent) at its highest since November 1997.