Updated: MORE than 1,000 people joined the dole queue in a month in York and North Yorkshire, new figures have revealed.

A total of 2,697 people claimed Job Seekers Allowance in the City of York Council area in December, or 2.1 per cent of those eligible – up by 267 on the figure for November.

In North Yorkshire, there were 7,197 people claiming the allowance last month, an increase of 767 on the number claiming in November.

The position was just as bleak in East Yorkshire, where the number of claimants soared from 4,814 to 5,483 in the month.

In Selby, 1,120 people were claiming the allowance in December, an The jobless figures for York are some of the worst seen since the early 2000s.

York MP Hugh Bayley said: “It’s terrible for those who have lost their jobs over the Christmas period.

“I’m afraid that the figures are going to get worse before they get better. The Government is investing more in training and providing help for those that have lost their jobs to help them get back into work. Most people that lose their job find new work within six to eight weeks, but it’s an extremely worrying time for them and their families.”

He said York was lucky in that the unemployment rate was lower than the national figure, and his top priority would be trying to keep jobs in the city and bring new jobs.

York council leader Andrew Waller said: “This is something that we’re keeping a very close watch on, as there weren’t the number of seasonal jobs in December that have previously provided people with employment in that month.

“I am working closely with our economic development team on what we can do to ensure that companies in the city get the help they need to remain competitive and in business.”

The soaring jobless numbers locally reflected the situation across Britain, which saw unemployment hurtling towards the two million mark and the number of people claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance increasing by 77,900 to 1.16 million, the worst figure since 2000.

The jobless total increased by 131,000 in the three months to November to 1.92 million, the highest figure for over a decade, leaving the UK with a higher unemployment rate – 6.1 per cent – than Slovenia, Romania, Malta, Holland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Austria and Cyprus.