Women in the Fens earn less than men but unemployment among young people has dropped, according to latest figures.

Women earn less than men in the Fens (Image: Archant)

Locally, females earn an average of £9.65 an hour, compared to men who earn £11.55 an hour - a difference of £1.90.

Nationally, women earn an average of £12.34 an hour - a difference of £2.69 an hour.

The figures have been released by Labour Market Statistics (LMS) to shed light on the state of the job market.

They reveal that while the women’s wage difference may not be a positive sign, the number of young people claiming Job Seekers Alllowance, (JSA), locally has dropped by about a third.

Last year 320 young people aged 18 to 24 years were claiming JSA.

This year the figure has dropped to 215 youngsters.

Paul Gisbey, of JobCentre Plus, said: “We have seen a dramatic reduction. We’ve done a lot of work with youngsters over the years and it has paid off.”

In the Fens a total of 990 people claimed JSA last year compared to 650 people this year.

The East of England has the second highest employment rate of any UK region at 77 per cent, she said, and nationally there are 413,000 more people in work compared to this time last year

For the Fenland area youth unemployment has fallen by 32.8% year on year which is the greatest reduction of any district in central England from the east coast to the borders of Wales.

In the Fens 17.6 per cent of people work in the care and leisure jobs compared to 9.2 per cent nationally.

“Caring work remains one of the sectors that thrive across East Anglia. We offer support to people seeking care work opportunities including training and employment with a number of companies that work with us,” Mr Gisbey said.

Employment Minister Priti Patel said: “We want everyone to succeed and achieve their full potential.”