ALL but one of the 45 people who joined the list of job seekers in Burnley last month were women, it has been revealed.

Latest figures have revealed that the number of people claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA) in East Lancashire has risen by 2,136 in the last year to 13,351.

The number of women looking for work stands at 4,321, having risen by 125 in the last month alone.

In Burnley, the number of unemployed people has risen by 352 in the last year and 45 in the last month, and stands at 2,640.

That increase of 45 includes 44 women.

Rossendale has also seen a steep rise of 105 people, including 27 women, claim JSA in the last month.

Union bosses blamed job cuts in the public sector for the sharp increase in the number of people, especially women, out of work in East Lancashire.

Gareth Roscoe, a UNISON representative, said: “Obviously it is terrible news, but the other thing is that it is not unexpected.

“Local government is one of the main employers of women in the country and obviously local government has taken a huge hit.

“Although it only ended up with 100 compulsory redundancies in Blackburn, there were 1,000 posts shared and at least half of those posts would have been filled by women.”

The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, show unemployment figures have reached a 17-year high, hitting 2.57 million, with young people and women worst affected.

Yesterday women at Blackburn’s Jobcentre Plus said there were not enough jobs for the number of people looking for work.

Santana Holt, 23, who lives with her mother in Highercroft, Blackburn, said: “I’m finding it really, really hard to get a job.

“I’ve been signing on in Blackburn since August and before that I was looking for work in Blackpool.

“I’m looking for cleaning, waitressing or bar work.

"It is hard when you’re not working but it helps when you have support from a parent.”

Chloe Greenhough, 18, lives with a friend in the Griffin area of Blackburn and relies on benefits to pay her rent.

She said: “I did A-Levels at college for a year, but then I left and have been looking for work ever since.

“I’ve applied for a lot of jobs - the amount is in double figures - but I haven’t had any interviews.The problem is that employers are looking for people with experience."

Mum-of-four Julie Danaj, 42, of Mill Hill, Blackburn, said she had been looking for work for around a year.

She said: “I have done administration work and telesales in the past but I stopped to bring my kids up.

“It is quite hard because you find so many people are going for the same jobs, so it is really competitive.

“I’m trying all sorts - even retaking exams because it is a long time since I did my O-Levels and they probably are not relevant now.”