Unemployment has fallen in Elmbridge since the start of the year.

The latest Office of National Statistics for April showed 1,168 people in Elmbridge claimed job seekers allowance, which equated to 1.4 per cent of the borough’s population.

The figures show Elmbridge bucking the trend for the rest of the south-east, which showed 2.6 per cent of people in the region claiming benefits while unemployed.

The Elmbridge figures were an improvement on March, when 1,272 people claimed job seekers allowance.

Broken down, 772 of the 1,168 people claiming job seekers were men, compared with the 396 women, with those aged 25 to 49 the most likely to be out of work.

Liz Field, chief executive of the Financial Skills Partnership said: “This is encouraging news, as it seems to confirm a continued upward trend in employment.

“However it is still early days and we shall have to await the longer term trends.

“In the meantime there are still many talented and enthusiastic young people in the south-east seeking employment in today’s competitive jobs market, and many may need help in researching careers and honing their job seeking strategy, in particular equipping themselves with the right kinds of skills and connecting with employers.”