Doncaster borough has one of the biggest increase in unemployment claims in UK

Statistics compiled by the Office for National Statistics and think-tank Centre for Cities shows the borough has seen the sixth highest rise in people applying for Universal Credit and Jobseeker's Allowance, only behind Blackpool, Liverpool, Hull, Belfast and Manchester.

Figures reveal Doncaster saw a 2.6 per cent rise - an increase of nearly 5,000 people in just one month. The borough had the 12th highest claimant count per head out of 63 core population centres in March, but this has since risen to sixth in April.

Centre for Cities analysts said the data showed the highest rises correlated with areas with weaker economies.

None of the big increases were seen in the south of England, with Cambridge, Oxford, Reading, Milton Keynes and Aldershot the least affected areas.

In the rest of South Yorkshire, Barnsley had a 2.5 per cent with 3,865 more people claiming and Sheffield saw a 2.1 per cent increase with 11,225 people applying for unemployment benefits. There is no data for Rotherham.

Elena Magrini, senior analyst at Centre for Cities, said: “A number of factors are driving these results – industry composition, use of the Job Retention Scheme, eligibility for benefits among others – but one thing is certain: unemployment is rising fast, especially in places that already had weaker economies.

“Reducing this number will be the biggest challenge for the government for months ahead.

“We will continue to provide data and intelligence as it becomes available, so watch this space as we develop policy recommendations fit for supporting the recovery in different labour markets.

READ MORE: Hour-by-hour weather forecast as Doncaster set for hottest day of the year so far

“The data confirms there has been a large increase in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits everywhere in the country.

“In April, 2.1 million people in the UK filed a claim for either Universal Credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance, a rise of about 850,000 compared with March 2020.

“Cities and large towns in the North and Midlands have been hardest hit. When looking at the monthly change, cities in the North and Midlands have recorded the biggest percentage point increases in claimant counts compared with March 2020.”