UNEMPLOYMENT continues to fall in Teignbridge, the latest job figures have revealed.

May’s jobless totals show the district is following the national trend which shows more people in work.

Across Teignbridge, there has been a fall of a further one per cent drop in unemployment on last month.

In the key age groups of 18 to 24 year olds, the rate is 23 per cent out of work while for those aged over 50, it is 31 per cent.

However, these figures too are slightly down on last month.

Jo Harris, from the Job Centre, said: ‘It’s all absolutely going in the right direction.

‘The trend we are seeing is that we are doing well in getting people into work.’

Nationally, unemployment is at its lowest level since records began in 1971.

In Teignbridge, seasonal vacancies and construction industry jobs may account for the decline in unemployment.

But there are also vacancies available in the care sector, cleaning, nursing and healthcare and a new Prince’s Trust team starting in Newton Abbot later this month.

Commenting on the May figures, Secretary of State for work and pensions Stephen Crabb said: ‘These are another set of record-breaking figures with more people in work than ever before and the unemployment rate is at the lowest in a decade at 5.1 per cent.

‘In the south west, there are more than 200,000 more people in work compared to 2010 and the current employment rate of 77.3 per cent is well above the UK average.

‘More people in work means that more families across the UK are benefiting from the security of a regular wage and the fulfilment that employment brings.’

Official figures released today by the Office of National Statistics show there are now 31.58 million people in work, a growth driven by full-time employment, and the unemployment rate remains at 5.1 per cent, the lowest in a decade and below recession levels.