The North East still has the highest rate of unemployment in the country, according to figures released today.
The latest Labour Market Statistics, released by the Office of National Statistics, reveal that employment in the region is up by 20,000 from last year, with 70.4% of 16-64 year-olds in work - a total of 1,196,000 workers.
However, 7.9% of over-16s in the region are unemployed, the highest rate in the UK, compared to a national average of 5.1% unemployment.
The jobless total has risen to 103,000 between January and March this year, compared to 98,000 at the same point in 2015.
It’s good news for the government on a national scale though, as figures show the employment rate is at its highest since records began in 1971, with 31.58 million people in work.
Women are working longer due to the state pension age rising, leading to another record high in the rate of female workers (69.2%).
Meanwhile, the number of people claiming benefits in the North East, including Job Seekers’ Allowance and Universal Credit, fell by 700 to 47,700 between the last three months of 2015 and the first quarter of this year. The report says that 3.9% of those in the North East are claimants - almost twice the national average of 2.1%.
Read the full blog article on the Chronicle Business website here