THE number of people claiming benefits in Dunfermline and West Fife went up in the last month.

Official figures released this week showed the claimant count went up by 29 per cent in the last year, however, DWP employment partnership manager Janet McQueen said this was due to changes in the system.

“The figures for Dunfermline and West Fife are looking quite encouraging,” she said. “The claimant count has increased by 29 per cent in the last year but that increase is because of Universal Credits as they have a greater conditionality regime because it is working with customers and their partners.

“Since 2010, it has reduced by 28 per cent in the Dunfermline area and it is the same figure, 28 per cent, over the last five years.”

Janet said there were still many employment opportunities for West Fifers.

“We are very fortunate to have the airport on our doorstep which the 747 bus goes directly to and the airport has been running site-based academies and there are a lot of opportunities there – on a regular basis, they are recruiting security as well as for the retail and hospitality sector,” she said.

“On top of that, we still have normal, run-of-the-mill stuff. The construction industry is booming. We have done some work with the local authority and some providers and have been running construction courses for people wanting to get into that.

“At Forth Ports, we have been fortunate to see more cruise boats coming into Rosyth so there is seasonal recruitment there for security guards and also for baggage handlers and that is something we have been seeing increasing over the years.”

Janet added that staff at Dunfermline job centre were keen to help with training where they can and DWP Twitter updates have helped inform jobseekers of employment opportunities. A jobs fair is also planned at the centre on July 6.

“Another good thing we have across Fife is working very closely with the council with their community response team giving customers the training and skills like grass-cutting and machine plant operating to help them move into employment, which is paying dividends,” she added.

“We regularly run training courses and if there is a skills gap, the DWP want to hear about it. If customers are needing support to get into work, we will try our best to get the support that they require.”