In December there were 275 people aged between 18 and 24 that are receiving Job Seeker’s Allowance in the Clydebank area; only 70 of those have been receiving the benefit for six months or more.

The figures, released by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), show 120 people in that age group found work in the past year, helping to cut youth unemployment in Clydebank by 30 per cent.

A total of 1,245 people in the town are on Job Seeker’s Allowance at present, 397 fewer than this time last year.

This means that in total unemployment has fallen by 24 per cent between 2013 and 2014.

Lynn Hammell, DWP customer services operations manager, said the unemployment figures were “great news” for Clydebank, attributing the results to a mix of job centre schemes and a more buoyant labour market.

She told the Post: “Clydebank and West Dunbartonshire has been a hot spot deprivation area for some time. We are delighted with the progress and results that are shown in the statistics out this week. We are delighted because there has been a lot of hard work going on with ourselves and our partners to support all West Dunbartonshire people into work. “I think the claimant commitment has been really effective in producing these figures in Clydebank. The claimant is more in control of their journey into work, that culture change has definitely supported these figures.” The claimant commitment is an agreement that a Jobcentre work coach and the job seekers sign. It sets out the ways in which a person can get a job and addresses barriers to employment. People are offered IT classes and internet workshops to ensure they are able to apply for jobs online, whilst others are offered help writing a CV.

“It sets out the steps they need to take to reach the goal of getting a job and because it’s personal to them they are more proactive,” Mrs Hammell added.

A series of big companies are also bringing more work to West Dunbartonshire, The Queen of the Loch at Lomond Shores will bring approximately 50 hospitality jobs to the area, whilst the new care home in Alexandria, by Fairfield, will create a further 80 jobs in the care sector.

Mrs Hammell said: “In Clydebank there we don’t have much coming at the moment in terms of big employment opportunities. The City Deal may bring some development to the area but that would be realistically in 2016.” From March 9, 2015 all Jobcentres in West Dunbartonshire will start taking claims from single claimants for the new Universal Credit. A new benefit that has started to replace six existing benefits with a single monthly payment, Universal Credit is designed to help people to be better off in work, start a new job or work more hours.

* Check out the jobs section on page 30 of this week’s Post.