Jobless Numbers Receive Cautious Welcome

Official figures released today show UK unemployment rose by 48,000 to 2.67 million in the three months to December.

Headline figures for the North East:

• Employment in the North East stands at 1,137,000 or 66.2% – a rise of 20,000 over the quarter and 11,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 70.3% nationally.
• North East unemployment stands at 143,000 or 11.2% – a fall of 4,000 over the quarter but a rise of 16,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 8.4% nationally.
• The claimant count stands at 90,800 or 7.4% in the North East, compared to 5.0% nationally.

Reacting to the news, North East Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive, James Ramsbotham said:

"Any fall in the number of unemployed people in the North East must be welcomed, but it is important that we do not get too carried away with today's figures.

"The performance of our regional manufacturers and exporters continues to outstrip the rest of the country and we remain the only region with a positive balance of overseas trade. These are all signs that the private sector is slowly recovering from the recession and the impact of the Government's austerity measures, which saw many companies lose public sector contracts.

"If we are to capitalise on this slight improvement in the unemployment figures the Government must take immediate action to increase incentives and reduce red tape to stimulate private sector employment. It will be some time before the North East fully recovers from the impact of public sector cuts, but today's news is a small demonstration that we're moving in the right direction."