Latest figures show that 2020 saw the number of Maldon district residents claiming unemployment benefit almost treble.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that in December, 2019 there were 620 people claiming unemployment benefit in Maldon district. In December 2020 that rose to 1,800 people – an increase of 1,180.

This is broken down as follows:

-in December 2019, there were 345 men claiming unemployment benefit, moving to 1,035 men by December last year

-in December 2019, there were 275 women claiming unemployment benefit. That figure rose to 760 women in December 2020.

This is equal to a 2.9 per cent rise in the overall unemployment rate for Maldon in a 12-month period, taking it to 4.7 per cent in December 2020, with 5.6 per cent of men claiming unemployment benefit and 4 per cent of women.

The shocking toll of the pandemic on the district's unemployment figures follows a trend nationally and across the Essex county area, with the number of people claiming benefit for being out of work rising from 18, 170 in December 2019 to 29, 205 people 12 months later.

The figures could be influenced to some extent by changes to benefits and the way they are counted – for example, by changes to Universal Credit and who can claim it, including the addition of some people who can claim it while being employed.

However, an increase in the numbers of unemployed people is expected nationally with high numbers of redundancies, especially in the hospitality, retail and travel industries, in recent months.