MOST of the employees who lost their jobs after the collapse of two Borders firms have found new work.

A dozen workers lost their jobs last month after Meigle Printers in Tweedbank went into voluntary liquidation.

But eight of the affected employees have now found new jobs.

A further five of the nine staff at Hawick blacksmith's, John Telfer Ltd, which closed last month, have also gained new employment.

Marjory Russell from the Galashiels Jobcentre hopes the others will soon find jobs as well.

She told us: "We are currently focussing on helping people who need to retrain and upskill.

"Unemployment is low in the Scottish Borders and we are trying to help those who are still out of work become more suitable for potential employers."

Jobcentre Plus in Galashiels recently held a recruitment event to help fill vacancies for the new Aldi store which will open in Hawick towards the end of January.

And staff are also hosting ongoing recruitment support sessions to help claimants into the construction industry.

The latest figures, which were published last week, show that there are 1005 claimants of all ages in the Scottish Borders - down six per cent from 2016.

The number of 18- to 24-year-olds who are claiming benefits has fallen by 12 per cent to 260.

Unemployment rates in the Scottish Borders currently sit at around 3.8 per cent, which is below both eh Scottish and UK averages.