Women in Ely earn £5.64 an hour less than men according to latest figures

Women in Ely earn an average of £5.64 an hour less than men, according to latest figures.

Locally, females earn an average of £11.60 an hour, compared to men who earn £17.24 an hour.

Nationally, women earn an average of £12.34 an hour - 74p an hour more than Ely females.

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 115 young people aged 18 to 24 years were claiming JSA.

This year the figure has dropped to 75 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 Ely area people are getting off benefits and into work quicker than last year. Figures show that 90.5 per cent of people are off JSA within six months compared to about 55 per cent last 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

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