Member Article

ONS report shows North East continues to reduce unemployment

The latest ONS regional labour market statistics have revealed that whilst North East employment is slowing, the region has nevertheless displayed consistency in reducing unemployment

North East employment stands at 1,171,000 , or 68.7%, a fall of 14,000 over the quarter and 4,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 73.3% nationally.

Unemployment, however, stands at 96,000, or 7.8%, a fall of 2,000 over the quarter and 29,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 5.6% nationally.

The claimant count stands at 47,400 or 3.9% in the North East, compared to 2.3% nationally.

Jonathan Walker, Head of Policy and Campaigns, North East Chamber of Commerce, said: “The fall in employment numbers is surprising given the results we’ve seen from our Quarterly Economic Survey, where the workforce score was at a higher point than at any point since 1995.

“Today’s figures are hopefully just a blip, yet they reflect the challenge the North East faces in ensuring the private sector is able to compensate for the significant number of people leaving the public sector.

“Nevertheless, there are still some positives to be found, specifically the on-going fall in unemployment. This month, our region has bucked the national trend, with national unemployment increasing slightly. The North East is consistently reducing the number of people unemployed, with the unemployment figures dropping almost 25% in the past two years.”