Employment figures are boost for the town
Wimbledon has the smallest number of people claiming Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) than any other constituency area in London.
The latest employment figures show that in August 2010, there were just 987 people claiming the JSA benefit in Wimbledon. This represents 1.4% of residents aged 16-64.
The constituency area with the next fewest number of JSA claimants was Richmond Park, with 1,187 people on JSA - representing 1.5% of its population.
Across the capital, the average number of people claiming JSA was 4% of the population aged 16-64, while the national average was 3.6%.
The figures were released as the government announced the biggest quarterly rise in employment on record, driven by the private sector.
The Office for National Statistics figures show that while the number of people in employment rose by 286,000 on the quarter, the nearly five million people claiming the three main out of work benefits has not improved significantly, with a slight increase in the numbers claiming JSA.
Employment minister Chris Grayling said: "The jump in employment, driven by the private sector, is good news but it doesn’t disguise the fact that the system the Government inherited is failing to get people on welfare into these jobs. It is neither fair for the nearly five million people on benefits, nor the taxpayer who supports them.
"That’s why we are pressing ahead with re-testing everyone claiming incapacity benefits and introducing our new Work Programme, which will give people the tailored support they need to move them into sustained work."
September 21, 2010