Hackney North unemployment up 10% in a month?

According to the latest Office of National Statistic figures, the number of Job Seekers Allowance claimants in Hackney North has risen from 4336 to 4727.

That's an increase of 391 jobseekers in one month or nearly 10%. This looked like a typo but it appears to be the result of constituency boundary changes. If so, then Hackney North has swallowed a large chunk of Hackney South's unemployment problem.

Could this encourage Hackney North MP Diane Abbott to take a deeper look at the unemployment problem in the borough? Meg Hillier Vs Diane Abbott on unemployment (I did ask where Diane got her figures but have had no reply)

Meanwhile, despite a fall in the number of JSA claimants, Hackney is still the London borough with the highest proportion of its working-age population claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), ahead of Tower Hamlets.

Other employment figures were also published this month which showed that the proportion of Hackney's working age population registered as 'economically inactive' has remained level at 24%.

Last month (Regional Monthly Data - April 2010) the Office of National Statistics reported a nationwide decrease in employment levels and an increase in economic inactivity (highest since 2004). Also the number of people unemployed for more than 12 months also rose and is at its highest level since 1997. The figures do not break down these changes to local authorities or constituencies so it is not clear how this may have affected Hackney's economic inactivity levels.

Levels of long-term unemployment in Hackney fell from 47,100 in 2005 to 26,900 in 2007 - a much faster rate than neighbouring boroughs. The reasons for this large drop in economic inactivity remains unexplained (Worklessness miracle) and a related issue: 42% of Hackney households on benefits

Hackney JSA claimant count:

2010
April: 9,663 (6.7%) - next highest is Tower Hamlets with 6.5%
March: 9,846 (6.8%) - next highest is Tower Hamlets with 6.6%
February: 10,044 (7%) - next highest is Tower Hamlets with 6.7%
January: 9,905 (6.9%) - next highest is Tower Hamlets at 6.6%
2009
December: 9743 (6.7%) - next highest was Tower Hamlets at 6.5%
November: 9,795 (6.8%) - next highest was Tower Hamlets at 6.7%
October: 9,827 (6.8%) - equal highest with Tower Hamlets.
September: 9,884 (7%)
August 9,826 (6.9%)
July: 9550 (6.7%)

Divided into constituencies: - Diane Abbott (North) and Meg Hillier (South) -

Hackney North
May - 4,081
June - 4,118
July - 4206
August - 4,331
September - 4,338
October - 4365
November - 4386 (6.3%)
December - 4331 (6.2%)
January - 4,402 (6.3%)
February - 4,450 (6.4%)
March - 4,336 (6.2%)
April - 4,727 (6.3%)

Hackney South
May - 5,296
June - 5,190
July - 5,344
August - 5,495
September - 5,546 (7.8%)
October - 5,462
November - 5,409 (7.5%)
December - 5,412 (7.5%)
January - 5503 (7.6%)
February - 5,594 (7.7%)
March - 5,510 (7.6%)
April - 4,908 (7.1%)

Hackney unemployment deteriorates fastest
Minister: Hackney unemployment nothing to complain about.