LATEST Universal Credit figures have revealed that Dumbarton's men have been hit hardest by COVID-19 lockdown.

The figures, which cover the last few months, show almost 700 more residents are now claiming benefits as the economy shut down in March, with the total registered at Dumbarton JobCentre up 47.7 per cent.

And the numbers have gone up higher for men than women. While female claimants are up 41.9 per cent, men are up 53.9 per cent. In Dumbarton, there are now nearly 4,000 people claiming Universal credit, compared to 2499 in February.

Clydebank JobCentre saw similar numbers, with claimants up 47.1 per cent – women up 36.7 per cent and men up 57 per cent. The total is up to 3,914 claimants from 2550 in February.

Dumbarton’s MSP, Jackie Baillie, said: “It is definitely concerning to see that, in our local community, men seem to have been hit particularly hard by the economic uncertainty of Covid-19. This could partly be due to the fact that many of the industries that have suffered initially are male dominated.

“However, what is even more concerning is that across the board, the number of claimants has increased drastically. Thousands of people have found themselves suddenly without work. It is vital that the Scottish Government and local authorities give these people the reassurance and financial protection that they need at this time of uncertainty.

“We are only just beginning to see the economic impact of this crisis. Scottish Labour is proposing a Job Guarantee Scheme to help people back into work and to help our economic recovery.”

Conservative MSP Maurice Golden added: “The Covid-19 pandemic is a health emergency, but also an economic one. The latest Universal Credits for the job centres across the region are stark and show what we are dealing with in terms of ensuring vital support reaches people in the quickest possible timeframe.

“While this virus is not discriminatory in who it can affect, it does appear that the initial effects are greater on men in the region who require Universal Credit. This could be down to the fact that there are more men in self-employed trades jobs, who, even though they could work safely with social distancing, have been prevented from doing so by the Scottish Government. Thankfully, this particular problem has now been rectified.

“There has been a mountain of support made available to individuals and businesses by the UK Government, Scottish Government and Local Authorities but we need to restart the economy, safely, as soon as possible.”