Member Article

NECC - North East Employment on the Up

Region shows signs of recovery as unemployment levels begin to slow

A summary of this morning’s latest employment numbers covering September to November 2015 is below:

Employment in the North East stands at 1,202,000 or 69.8% - an increase of 38,000 over the quarter and 23,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 74% nationally.

North East unemployment stands at 104,000 or 7.9% - a fall of 6,000 over the quarter and 6,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 5.1% nationally.

The claimant count stands at 47,700 or 3.9% in the North East. The national claimant count rate is 2.3%.

Commenting on the North East labour statistics, Paul Carbert, Policy Advisor at the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC), said:

“After the particularly worrying labour statistics released towards the end of last year, it certainly looks as though our region is starting to turn a corner. The North East has seen the largest rise in employment in the country, reporting 1.7% over the last three months.

“These results are better news than we have seen for a while; nevertheless, they also highlight a potential disparity between the regions of the Northern Powerhouse.

“The unemployment rate in the North West fell to 5.0%, below the national average, compared to an unemployment rate of 6.2% in Yorkshire & the Humber and 7.9% in the North East. Leaders may need to bear this in mind before labelling all Northern regions as one.

“One concerning figure indicates a growing gap in employment between young men and women aged 16-24 in the North East. The employment rate for men is up 5.8% over the year to 54.2%, however the equivalent figure for women is down 2.4% over the year to 48%. It is vital that we improve careers advice for all young people so that they are aware of the opportunities available to them in the North East.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Laura Facey .