UNEMPLOYMENT in Pembrokeshire has dropped by 38 per cent compared with this time last year, according to the latest Department of Work and Pension statistics.

Nationally, the UK unemployment rate has fallen to 4.2 per cent in the three months to October, while employers added 257,000 staff to their payrolls in November.

In Pembrokeshire, the total number of unemployed claimants is at 2,989; down by 1,804 (38 per cent) year-on-year.

Throughout the county, there have been many drives to raise employment through initiatives including a Milford Waterfront-based jobs fair and the opening of a B&M store in Haverfordwest.

At the Milford Haven jobs fair, hospitality businesses in the marina area, including the upcoming Tŷ Hotel, saw a total of 107 jobseekers attending and looking for work.

Celtic Collection Group talent and development director Hannah Elliott said: “We had a really successful day at the Jobs Fair and it was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm from the local community for our new Tŷ Hotel Milford Waterfront and the opportunities it will bring to the town.

“We saw more than 70 people during the course of the day and this will give us a great head-start towards filling the 40 permanent roles we are creating at the hotel, as well as recruiting additional seasonal workers.

“We met many candidates whose pride in Milford Haven and Pembrokeshire really shone through, and this will be a great asset for everyone as we begin welcoming guests to the new hotel.”

B&M’s new store in Haverfordwest added to this by advertising 40 new roles for its opening day on Thursday, November 25.

Jobcentre helped advertise the opportunities to Pembrokeshire’s unemployed claimants, as had been done before with the KFC in Pembroke Dock, the Seren Collection of hotels and restaurants, as well as various Co-op and Lidl stores.

Meanwhile, the government’s Kickstart scheme has proven to be getting young people in Pembrokeshire into full-time employment, with Jobcentre also showing this is the case nationwide.

Some Kickstart recruiting events were organised in all three of the county’s jobcentres, with great success and more planned for 2022.