Unemployment in Cumbria fell sharply last month, according to official figures released today.

There were 4,785 job hunters claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or Universal Credit in April – 1.6 per cent of the workforce – down from a restated figure of 5,075 in March and from 6,405 in April last year.

The downward trend applied across the county.

Allerdale's jobless total fell by 95 to 1,095 (1.9 per cent of the workforce), Barrow's by 55 to 1,165 (2.8 per cent), Carlisle's by 15 to 1,005 (1.5 per cent), Copeland's by 30 to 945 (2.2 per cent), Eden's by 35 to 215 (0.7 per cent) and South Lakeland's by 60 to 360 (0.6 per cent).

Nationally, the seasonally-adjusted claimant count fell by 2,400 to 737,800, the Office for National Statistics said.

And the quarterly rolling total, which includes job hunters not eligible for benefits, fell by 2,000 to 1.69m between January and March.

Average earnings increased by 2.0 per cent in the year to March, well ahead of inflation, which fell from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent last month.