Unemployment in the mid-Essex region fell last month, following the national downward trend.

The number of benefit claimants in Essex fell by 273 to 12,115, a fall of 2.2 per cent over the month, the latest figures show. The unemployment rate for Essex for September was 2.2 per cent.

Braintree saw the largest fall in unemployment at 7.65 per cent from August to September and a rate of 2.2 per cent.

Figures for Chelmsford and Maldon show a fall of 3.61 per cent and 2.44 per cent respectively over the same period and unemployment rates 1.6 per cent and 1.9 per cent

The number of claimants in Uttlesford bucked the trend and rose by nearly nine per cent, from 314 in August to 342 in September. Uttlesford has the lowest unemployment rate at 0.9 per cent.

Chelmsford still has the largest amount of unemployed with 1308 claiming benefit and Uttlesford has the lowest with 342.

Published Wednesday October 23, 2002

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