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Unemployment figures in the North East buck national trend

The North East Chamber of Commerce has welcomed signs that the North East economy is remaining buoyant in the face of rising unemployment numbers nationally.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics today show that employment rates are up by 10,000 in the North East year on year, with the number of people in work increasing by 1,000 in the three months to August.

Jobless figures in the North East rose by 1,000 in the three months to August with the unemployment rate remaining unchanged at 7.1 per cent. Nationally, unemployment numbers have risen by another 81,000 from the previous quarter.

Ross Smith, head of policy at the NECC, said: “The North East has a healthy labour market - particularly by historical standards - compared with rising numbers out of work nationally.

“It’s no secret that we’re facing the most challenging economic conditions for several years. We need to ensure there’s government support to retain skilled people in the economy and to train up new people so that when there is an inevitable upturn, we can resume the impressive trajectory that we’ve been on over the past few years.

“For example, reinstating relief on empty property rates would give confidence to developers and help ensure continued work for skilled people in the construction industry.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .