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1.215 million people in work gives North East another record employment high

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures have shown a rise in North East employment, with the region’s unemployment rate falling below 7%.

Employment stands at just over 1.215 million people equating to 71.1%, an increase of 3,000 over the quarter and 51,000 over the year.

North East unemployment stands at 79,000, or 6.1%, a fall of 20,000 over the quarter and 30,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 4.8% nationally.

Paul Carbert, policy adviser, North East England Chamber of Commerce said: “These figures give us positive news on the labour market in the North East.

“They show that participation in the labour market and the number of people in employment has increased in the past year, and unemployment has fallen by 30,000. Although we still have the highest unemployment rate in the country, the gap between the North East unemployment rate and the national average is at its lowest since 2010.”

Richard Baker, North East Local Enterprise Partnership Head of Strategy and Policy, said today’s Office for National Statistics employment data continued to demonstrate a longer term picture of positive labour market performance in the North East.

“Employment in the North East now stands at another record high this quarter at 1.215 million people, that’s 51,000 more people in work than 12 months ago,” said Richard.

“The rate of growth in the number of people in employment in our region is growing faster than the English average both over the last quarter and the previous year, which is very encouraging. We are continuing to narrow the employment rate gap with the English average.

“Today’s figures also show that the number of people out of work has fallen again, by 20,000 in the three months to September and nearly 30,000 fewer people in unemployment now compared to one year ago.

“We are also seeing a continuation in the rise of permanent jobs for both men and women which is encouraging. It remains a concern however that the number of people economically inactive is rising.

“The reasons for this are unclear from this data but could be related to a fall in the number of people in self-employment in the North East over the past year, in contrast to the national trend, and unstable jobs.

“This requires further investigation into what is a complex picture. Our concern is to ensure that the quality of employment opportunities continues to improve.”

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