UNEMPLOYMENT in Dorset has fallen for the sixth month in a row, according to the latest figures.

The number of people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA) in the county council area of Dorset dropped from 3,807 in June to 3,693 in July, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Comparing this July to last July, joblessness fell throughout the county by 18.6 per cent from 4,537 to 3,693.

The county’s fall in JSA claimants reflect the national picture, which shows the numbers claiming the benefit nationally fell by 3,800 over the month to 1.46million.

The latest statistics also appear to mirror the changing fortunes of job seekers in Weymouth.

Plasterer Dennis Keane, 50, of Larkspur Close, Weymouth, has recently returned to work.

He said: “It’s pretty good news for people to be getting back into work, especially for the times we’re in. Not everywhere is doing as well as Dorset is.”

Qualified butcher Terry Wallis, 49, of Westwey Road, Weymouth has also found a new job in his chosen field.

He said: “It goes to show that there is work out there if people are prepared to go out and get it, but you’ve got to put the legwork in to find it.”

The fall in the claimant count is also being reflected at borough and district council level throughout Dorset.

In Weymouth and Portland, joblessness fell from 1,019 in June to 997 in July, a rate change of minus 2.2 per cent.

Annually, the number of people claiming JSA in the borough dropped by 18.6 per cent from 1,162 last July to 997 this July.

In West Dorset, the claimant count rose by four people from 659 in June to 663 in July. The annual change in the district was more pronounced, with joblessness falling by 15.3 per cent from 783 last July to 663 this July.