North of Tyne Combined Authority announces plans to create over 5,000 jobs

The North of Tyne Combined Authority is set to create more than 5,000 permanent jobs in four years, with over 1,280 already in post, averaging at seven new jobs per week.

The original devolution deal that established the NTCA, headed by elected Metro Mayor Jamie Driscoll, committed it to deliver 10,000 jobs over a 30-year period. New figures reveal that NTCA is on track to well exceed this target, with a pipeline of just over 5,000 jobs in four years.

The positions are across a wide range of local employers, from global security giant, Verisure, to award-winning foundry and machine shop, Norfran, to family-owned chocolate and confectionery makers, Sweet Dreams. The roles span a variety of sectors, too, from tourism to offshore energy to culture and creative industries.

An additional 1,783 jobs have been protected that would have otherwise been scrapped were it not for Combined Authority investment, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis. Almost 1,500 will be safeguarded in future, thanks to further funding.

Mayor Driscoll commented: “Five thousand jobs, good jobs, in four years is a massive achievement. We’ve smashed the central government target out of the park on this one. This shows that devolution really works.”

The latest Office for National Statistics figures also provide a backdrop of falling unemployment. Between February and April 2023, the unemployment rate in the North East was lower than the UK average, at 3.6 per cent.

Commenting on the new ONS figures, Mayor Driscoll added: “This is great news for the North East. Last year we were the number one region in the country for job creation from inward investment. I’ve said we can create full employment, and this is great progress.

“In the North of Tyne we’ve brought big tech companies here, we work with local small firms, boosted our offshore renewables industry and helped our creative sector. And these are good, permanent jobs, backed by our Good Work Pledge, that pay the decent wages people deserve.

“I could talk about the statistics, but I’ve met hundreds of thousands of people getting a pay packet this month as a result of the hard work all our partners have done. It’s time the rest of the country took notice.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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