Unemployment continues to fall in Northumberland County

Unemployment in Northumberland continues to fall new figures show.

The data, published by the Office for National Statistics, has been welcomed by the county council as it works to continue its economic recovery despite challenging times, including cost of living issues.

Job figures for the 18-24 year age group are improving, with unemployment levels at their lowest since December 2018. Overall, in June 2022 there were 6,070 people registered as unemployed in the county, or 3.2 per cent of the working age population (16-64). This compares with 4.2 per cent for the wider north east region and 3.8 per cent nationally.

Early indications are that the number of payrolled employees in Northumberland have risen by over 2,500 (2 per cent) since June 2021, to 130,998 in June 2022.

And annual growth in median pay in Northumberland has risen by 7 per cent, from £1,825 per month on June 2021, to £1,946 per month in June 2022.

Council leader Glen Sanderson said: “We’re very pleased to see these latest figures for the county, with unemployment levels below the regional and national average.

“We’re very focused on our economic recovery after what has been an extremely difficult couple of years but we know many people are still facing challenges around the cost of living and we’re doing all we can to help them.

“With a number of major employers setting up in the county, continued progress with key projects such as the Northumberland Line rail and employability and skills programmes to support people into the jobs available this remains a very positive picture for Northumberland.”

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