CHORLEY has been given a jobs boost - with fewer unemployed people going for more jobs.

This was revealed in the 1997 Jobcentre Survey by the Greater Manchester Low Pay Unit on behalf of Chorley Borough Council.

The survey was based solely on vacancies available in Chorley Jobcentre on September 19 last year - following on from two similar surveys carried out in 1995 and 1996.

Chorley's economic development and tourism sub-committee will hear at a meeting today (Thursday) that while the number of vacancies has increased, there are fewer people fighting for them because of falling unemployment.

Alison Barker, the council's economic development and tourism manager, said: "This has to be related to the type of people unemployed and the type of vacancies.

"It is good news for Chorley, but we still have to look at the types of jobs and quality of jobs."

Department of employment figures showed there were 454 vacancies at Chorley Jobcentre in September 1997, 329 in November 1996 and 253 in September 1995.

The committee was told there were 9.7 unemployed people for every vacancy in 1995, 6.6 in 1996 and 3.4 in 1997.

However, around half of the jobs advertised were only part-time - "a very high proportion" the committee was told. And only about a third of all job vacancies appear in the Jobcentre.

The latest unemployment figures for Chorley show a slight increase.

There were 3.1 per cent out of work (1,532 residents) in the borough in January compared to 2.8 in December and November and 3.0 per cent in October.

Unemployment in Chorley was well down on last January (4.4 per cent) though and remains lower than the regional and national average.

The town's January figures compared with 4.2 per cent for Lancashire, 5.8 per cent for the North West and 5.2 per cent for Britain.

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