BOLTON had the second highest percentage of unemployed people in Greater Manchester last month, new government figures show.

But the number of residents claiming Jobseekers Allowance has fallen 1.3 per cent compared to last year, down to 3.3 per cent this July — the equivalent of 5,752 people.

In figures released by the Office of National Statistics this week, Manchester recorded the highest percentage at 3.5 per cent, while Trafford had the lowest at 1.8 per cent.

Christian Spence, head of business intelligence at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said the data reflected a “strong recovery” in the labour market.

He added: “Overall, there is much good news in the latest figures and they show that the economy overall is recovering well.

“The rapidly falling unemployment rate will continue to cause greater pressures in the labour market overall making recruitment, particularly for high-demand skills, increasingly more difficult.”