Thousands back in work and firms set to recruit as unemployment plummets across the West Midlands

This figure is in sharp contrast to the rest of the country where the overall UK jobless total rose by 10,000 to 1.82 million as jobless hikes in London, the South East and the North East countered falls in the West Midlands, North West and Yorkshire.

Employment Minister Priti Patel said: "As part of our one nation government, we want everyone to succeed and achieve their full potential, and through our reforms we are doing just that.

"With the West Midlands seeing the largest fall in the unemployment rate of any UK region over the last year, it is clear that this government's long-term economic plan is providing security for working people."

What are the figures like for your area? Take a look at each section to see how they compare.

Dudley

Unemployment has plummeted across Dudley over the last year, official figures have revealed, with hundreds of people getting back into work.

Job queues have shrunk by nearly a quarter with the borough boosted by new jobs at firms including Ultimate Outdoors which created 80 positions at its Merry Hill store.

More jobs are on the way, including at Aldi which is set to recruit a total of 80 people for two new stores in Dudley and Stourbridge.

The number of people in Dudley claiming unemployment benefits, such as Jobseeker's Allowance, has fallen by 1,479 over the last 12 months to 5,169 in August.

Although last month's claimant count was down by just one on the previous month, it was part of a success story that has seen unemployment across the whole West Midlands fall by 44,000 – more than a fifth – over the last year, to 156,000 between May and July, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Dudley South MP Mike Wood was encouraged by the falling figures and claimed further support is on the way.

"It is great news that our top priority has been a sustainable economy that in turn means more people in work.

"It is the Government's work programmes that are giving the support that people need. August trends are for figures to slightly rise with people leaving school or college but there is more and more training available year on year."

Labour MP for Dudley North Ian Austin said: "I celebrate every new job in the area, but long-term youth unemployment in the Black Country remains three times the national average which is why we need to make education and skills out number one priority, because the only way we will attract new investment to replace the jobs we've lost is by having the skills new industries need."

Sandwell

More than 2,000 people have come off the jobless queues in Sandwell over the last 12 months, as new figures reveal the scale of dramatic falls in unemployment across the borough.

New job opportunities, training schemes, apprenticeships and a string of recruitment schemes run by local JobCentre staff have all contributed to the drop.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of people across Sandwell claiming unemployment benefits, such as Jobseeker's Allowance, has fallen by a quarter, down by 2,182 over the last 12 months to 6,696 in August.

Last month's figure also showed a drop of 63 compared to the July total.

And more jobs could be on the way as major store chains start recruiting for Christmas.

David Jenkins, a JobCentre team leader in the Black Country, said: "We have seen quite a big drop over the last year. The majority of people are getting into work."

"Things are going well but we are not resting on our laurels. We are currently seeing a lot of firms recruiting to fill Christmas vacancies, such as Royal Mail, Next, Toys 'R' Us, Marks & Spencer, Asda, Boots, Debenhams and Argos."

West Bromwich West MP Adrian Bailey said: "The drop in claimant count and unemployment over the year is welcome.

"However, there is no room for complacency. Whilst West Midlands manufacturing has been a success story, the latest figures for our exports show a worrying drop particularly in emerging markets.."

Rowley Regis and Halesowen MP James Morris said: "These are encouraging figures across the West Midlands including in Halesowen and Rowley Regis where unemployment has fallen by 27 per cent over the last year and 52 per cent since 2010.

"We need to continue to support local businesses, encourage investment into the area in order to continue to generate the high quality jobs we need to create economic security."

Wolverhampton

Unemployment has plummeted in Wolverhampton over the last year, as the city is boosted by new jobs at Jaguar Land Rover, Wiggle and online giant Amazon.

And even more jobs are on the way in the coming week as Royal Mail and a string of big name stores start recruiting staff for Christmas.

It comes as the Government hailed dramatic falls in unemployment across the West Midlands, with the region bucking the national trend.

UK unemployment rose 10,000 to 1.82 million between May and July, because of jobless hikes in London, the South East and North East.

But in the West Midlands it fell to 156,000 – down 21,000 on the previous three months. Over the last year, it is down by 44,000 – a drop of more than a fifth.

In Wolverhampton, the number of people claiming benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance has fallen by a quarter over the last year, down 2,393 to 6,398 in August.

Employment Minister Priti Patel said: "With the West Midlands seeing the largest fall in the unemployment rate of any UK region over the last year, it is clear that this government's long-term economic plan is providing security for working people."

David Jenkins, a JobCentre leader in the Black Country, said: "We have seen quite a big drop over the last year. The majority of people are getting into work – around two thirds."

There has been a big impact from the Jaguar Land Rover engine plant at the i54 business park, which now has around 1,000 people working on the site, as well as the Wiggle cycling warehouse in Bilston and Amazon bussing Wolverhampton workers to its plant in Rugeley.

Mr Jenkins added: "Things are going well but we are not resting on our laurels. We have a big Jobs Fair at Molineux on October 2 and we are currently seeing a lot of firms recruiting to fill Christmas vacancies, such as Royal Mail, Next, Toys 'R' Us, Marks & Spencer, Asda, Boots, Debenhams and Argos."

Although the claimant count in the city is down over the last year, August's figure was up by 25 on the previous month's total.

Wolverhampton South East's Labour MP Pat McFadden sounded a note of caution and said: "These figures show that the welcome drop in unemployment figures in the last year or so is slowing down.

"My constituency continues to have among the highest unemployment figures in the country, and that is a real concern for the people living in Wolverhampton South East."

Walsall

Walsall has seen a dramatic fall in unemployment levels over the past 12 months, new figures have revealed.

And the borough is set for a fresh jobs surge in the coming weeks as Royal Mail and a string of big name stores start recruiting temporary workers for the Christmas period.

The number of people in Walsall claiming benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance has fallen by a quarter, down 1,974 to 4,444 – despite a rise of just 17 in August compared to the previous month.

Council leader Mike Bird said he believed a lot of employment will have been in retail but there has also been apprentices taken onto permanent jobs in manufacturing.

"It shows the recovery in Walsall," he said. "There is a feel-good factor but there is a lot of work still to be done. We have got to match the skills gap coming out of school. I am encouraged and I am surprised it has fallen that much."

He added it was a big boost to everyone the more people who are in work.

"If there is more people in employment, there is disposable income for people to spend in the local shops," he added.

Deputy leader Adrian Andrew, responsible for regeneration, said: "It is good news, it is good news for the people who have been able to get jobs too. It helps society and families to be in jobs."

It comes as the Government has hailed dramatic falls in unemployment across the West Midlands as the region bucked the national trend.

While UK unemployment rose 10,000 to 1.82 million between May and July, because of jobless hikes in London, the South East and the North East, in the West Midlands it fell to 156,000, down 21,000 on the previous three months.

Over the last year it is down by 44,000 – a drop of more than a fifth.

Employment Minister Priti Patel said: "As part of our one nation government, we want everyone to succeed and achieve their full potential, and through our reforms we are doing just that.

"With the West Midlands seeing the largest fall in the unemployment rate of any UK region over the last year, it is clear that this government's long-term economic plan is providing security for working people."

David Jenkins, a JobCentre leader in the Black Country, said: "We have seen quite a big drop over the last year. The majority of people are getting into work."

"Things are going well but we are not resting on our laurels. We are currently seeing a lot of firms recruiting to fill Christmas vacancies."

Staffordshire

Booming growth and job creation have slashed unemployment across Staffordshire, as new figures reveal the county's jobless total has fallen by a third in just 12 months.

The latest figures show the number of people claiming unemployment benefits across the county fell to 4,519 in August, down from 6,730 in August 2014.

County council economy leader Mark Winnington said the new low was further demonstration of continued growth and job creation in Staffordshire.

He added: "We have a strong mix of bigger businesses with smaller enterprises which is fuelling our continued growth and creating more employment. Added to this is our focus on increasing people's skills to get better jobs and meet the demands of our key sector industries.

"The county council will continue its drive to support business development and expansion – whatever the size of company. As today's statistics show, we are truly a county of opportunity."

South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson added: "This is amazing news and it just shows the economy continues to recover, creating jobs. It means more people have more money in their pockets.

"We can't be complacent about it, we can't risk our economic security by taking dangerous risks, we have got to keep on building on what we have been doing.

"Staffordshire is a real growth hotspot in this country. I think confidence is growing. People are feeling more secure, they realise the job situation is improving."

Staffordshire's claimant rate has fallen to its lowest number – 0.8 per cent of the population – since current records began. That is less than half the national claimant rate of 1.9 per cent.

This was despite slight rises in claimant count figures across the south of the county last month. In Cannock Chase it was up 22 from July's figure to 763, while in Lichfield the claimant count rose by 51 to 411.

In Stafford it was up 22 to 644 but in South Staffordshire the number of people claiming unemployment benefits was down 23 to 718.