THE number of people out of work in Herefordshire today stands at a record low - beating record-breaking figures announced only last month.

Currently, 1,212 county residents are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, according to figures released this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

That number is down 29 on last month’s total, which was the lowest since the government benefit was introduced in 1992.

It means just 1.1 per cent of Herefordshire’s working age population is unemployed, well down on the national average of 2.3 per cent and the West Midlands average of 2.9 per cent.

In February 2010, at the height of the global economic crisis, as many as 3,104 county residents were out of work.

Of the latest figure, 773 claimants are men, with 439 women.