The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in Fife has reached a five-year low.
The latest statistics for last month show that there are 7,942 people claiming the allowance in Fife, a rate of 3.4%.
That is the lowest number reported in five years. Councillor Tony Martin, chairman of Opportunities Fife and Fife Council’s Youth Ambassador, said such statistics were evidence the Fife economy is continuing to get stronger.
He said: “We started to see the JSA numbers reducing at the beginning of 2013 and it provides evidence of the growing strength of the Fife economy that this fall continued for 10 months.”
Fife’s business, enterprise, economy and planning spokeswoman Lesley Laird said 2014 was already shaping up to be a great year for Fife, thanks to the number of investments already taking place.
She said: “The growing strength of Fife’s economy can also be seen in the confidence of investors to build in Fife.
“Already in 2014 permission has been given to build a business park on the outskirts of Buckhaven.”
She said in addition St Andrews will benefit from private sector investments such as Barnetts Properties Limited’s £1.5 million business park, which opens soon, as well as a £7m development of a 65-bedroom hotel and major retail food store in the town.
In Dunfermline, investment by the technology company Clear2Pay is creating nearly 30 jobs.