Claimant count stood at 3810, down 710 on the figure for May, 2003.

The unemployment rate was 4.3% of the working age population, down 0.8% over the year. The national average was a drop of only 0.2%.

Across the whole of Scotland, claimant count last month was at a 29-year low of 94,507, or 3% of the working age population. That was a drop of 7858.

That means Dundee accounted for 9% of the national decrease, even though it has only about 3% of the Scottish population.

Men made up a sizeable majority of the city’s claimant count, some 2984 against only 826 women. There were 584 fewer men out of work last month than compared to May, 2003, while the women’s figure went down by 132.

At Parliamentary constituency level, Dundee East had 2120 claimants representing 4.8% of the working age population, while Dundee West had 1690, or 3.7%.

Despite the progress that has been made over the year, the city’s unemployment rate does remain one of the highest in Scotland.

Out of 32 local authorities, only Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and Glasgow have a bigger percentage of their potential workforce on benefit.

However, joblessness in Dundee is at its lowest point for a generation, thanks in part to the estimated £300 million that has been invested in the city in recent years to create new businesses and attract visitors.

Elsewhere in Tayside, claimant count remains equal to or below the Scottish average, although relatively little progress has been made in the past year.

Angus had 1955 people on benefit in May. That was down just 12 on the same month last year, and worked out at 3% of the working age population.

Perth and Kinross had the fifth-equal lowest jobless rate at only 1.8%. Its claimant count total of 1470 was down 145 year-on-year.

Putting the three areas together gives Tayside a claimant count of 7235, down 867 compared to May, 2003.

In Fife some 7999 people were out of work and on benefit. That was down 408 over the 12 months, giving the Kingdom a jobless rate of 3.7%. That was down 0.2% over the year.

At constituency level, Central Fife had the most people out of work on 2174, with 2032 in Kirkcaldy, 1631 in Dunfermline East, 1323 in Dunfermline West and 839 in North-East Fife.

Claimant count only captures some of those who would like to work, but are unable to. The Government’s preferred measure is based on a wider definition of unemployment by the International Labour Organisation.

The Scotland Office today announced that in the quarter from February to April, ILO unemployment rose by 8000 to 152,000. That took the unemployment rate up 0.2% to 5.9%.

However, the Labour Force Survey showed the number of Scots with a job during the quarter was 2.41 million, up 16,000 on the previous three months.