THE NUMBER of young people claiming Universal Credit in Herefordshire has almost doubled during lockdown.

Department for Work and Pensions statistics show 1,959 people aged 16-24 in Herefordshire were on Universal Credit as of August 13, nearly 1,000 than before the coronavirus pandemic.

In early March, before the lockdown hit, there were 986 in the age group who were claiming the benefit.

The figures include people in work and on a low income or those not working because of health or caring commitments, alongside those who are unemployed and searching for a job.

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The Intergenerational Foundation charity says younger people will be left to pay the bill for protecting older generations for decades to come after suffering a “massive blow” to their income and job prospects.

Herefordshire’s young people joined the ranks of 97,102 others in the age group across the West Midlands who were seeking support in August, up from 54,325 in March.

Across Great Britain, the figure almost doubled to 938,000 over the first five months of the Covid-19 crisis, with every area seeing an increase in the number of young Universal Credit claimants over the period.

Separate Office for National Statistics figures show rising unemployment has hit young people the hardest, with the number of 16 to 24-year-olds in employment across the UK dropping by more than 150,000 in the three months to July.

The ONS figures show the overall unemployment rate increased to 4.1 percent in the three months to July – the highest in nearly two years, with the number of those without a job rising by 62,000.

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Around 695,000 UK workers have been removed from the payrolls of British companies since March.

But there were an estimated 434,000 vacancies in the three months to August, up 30 percent from a record low between April and June, although this was still well below pre-virus levels.

Minister for employment Mims Davies said: “We recognise that the pandemic has been difficult for many people who are worried about their incomes and that’s why our £30 billion plan for jobs is aimed at protecting, supporting and creating jobs and it’s welcome news that there is some recovery in vacancies.”