The number of people claiming out of work benefits in Dundee has plummeted by more than a third in two years, according to official figures.
There were 2,950 claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance from Dundee in October, compared with 4,496 in the same month in 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.
The latest figure is the lowest the city has seen since at least 1983.
Significant drops were also recorded over the two years in Perth and Kinross (42%), Fife (40%) and Angus (27%).
The decreases have been partly attributed to harsher eligibility criteria for claimants, but there is also evidence that unemployment is falling and employment rising in Dundee.
The number of unemployed Dundonians fell to 5,900 this year, the lowest level since 2009, according to ONS data.
Jane McEwen, from the Job Centre in Dundee, said her team had worked hard with employers to reduce the claimant count to its lowest level of all time and get people into full-time work.
She added that the record low number of claimants comes as the city sees record high employment rates, with 74% of working-age men and 69% of working-age women in jobs.
Ms McEwen said the future is bright in Dundee with the waterfront redevelopment.
“There are going to be lots of opportunities with the construction of the buildings, but also filling them with people to deliver services,” she added.
Jenny Marra, Dundee-based Labour MSP for North East Scotland, said she welcomed good jobs news for the city.
However, she added: “We cannot allow these headline figures to mask the high levels of insecure and part-time work which do not meet people’s needs.
“Too often people are reliant on zero-hour contracts or don’t get enough hours to meet their bills.”
Nationally, the number of Scots in work increased by 3,000 over the last quarter to a new total of 2.6 million, despite a 6% rise in unemployment. The UK rate was 5.3%.
There was a fall in the number of Scots who are out of work and were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, which now stands at 68,800.
Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish Government’s Work and Skills Secretary, said she was pleased to see more people in work.
She added: “We will continue to do all that we can with every power at our disposal to focus on growing the economy, increasing employment, lowering unemployment and removing any barriers to the jobs market which may remain.”