UNEMPLOYMENT has fallen by 11 per cent in the Vale of Glamorgan over the past year.

Figures released by the Department of Work and Pensions on February 15 showed that the total claimant count in the Vale fell by 165 to 1,405 compared with this time last year.

Youth unemployment for those aged 18-24 is down by 30, or eight per cent, to 355 in the same period.

Job centre manager Darren Gibbon said the picture is a "good one".

He added: "There are no blips on the horizon that we can see. The trend is one of people getting into work.

"It is all about creating sustainable employment."

He said there is a focus on bringing in partners and employers into the job centre for interviews.

He added that job centre staff are working hard to bring employers closer to prospective employees.

He went on to highlight how the care and hospitality industry is seeing a large amount of recruitment in the Vale as well as diverse opportunities in construction and contact centres in nearby Cardiff.

Mr Gibbon said: "We would actively encourage residents of the Vale to come into Cardiff for the jobs fair on March 8."

Employment in Wales rose with 12,000 more people in work since this time last year.

This brings employment in Wales to 1.44 million.

Secretary of state, Damian Green, said: "With employment at its highest rate since records began, and unemployment at its lowest in over a decade, we remain in a position of strength.

"Our on-going welfare reforms will continue to incentivise work and make sure the system is fair to all those who need it and those who pay for it.

"There’s good news in Wales, where employment is continuing to rise with 12,000 more people in work in the last year alone, bringing employment in Wales to a near record high of 1.44 million. Female unemployment in Wales is at a near record low of 23,000."

Mr Gibbon said: “We would actively encourage residents of the Vale to come into Cardiff for the jobs fair on March 8.”