THERE are fewer jobs available now in parts of Merseyside than at the depths of the recession.

The decline in vacancies comes as unemployment locally reached a 10-month high resulting in there being more than 15 unemployed people for every job centre vacancy.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics, published yesterday, highlights the fragility of the jobs market locally.

The number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) in Liverpool city region increased by 958 people which follows last month’s sharp post-Christmas rise of nearly 2,500 people. There are now 53,770 claimants in the city region, although this is still 6% – more than 3,600 people – lower than a year ago.

The number of job opportunities across the city region will cause concern as the effects of the spending cuts are increasingly filtering through to the jobs market.

There were just 559 Jobcentre Plus vacancies in Sefton – the second-lowest monthly total in recent years which meant there were 15.2 claimants for every vacancy. Across the city region, there was an average of 10.1 claimants per vacancy.