Shining a light on the many reasons to be positive

Author - Courtney Hiles

Date published:

The Chamber’s latest column for The Journal by Tim Marsden, knowledge manager

We know the North East is a great place to live and work, but we want to make it better and more inclusive.

Newcastle has been named top of the list of 15 UK cities to start a small business in 2024 in Startups Magazine (beating the likes of London, Birmingham and Manchester).

One of our biggest selling points is our people, who are often cited as some of the most friendly, inviting, innovative and passionate people in the UK.

This year, the Chamber’s Knowledge Programme will focus on people, and I’m keen to shine a light on the very many positives for the region. That’s not to say the challenges don’t exist.

December’s ONS statistics highlighted that the UK’s economic inactivity rate for ages 16-64 was 21.7%, whilst in the North East this was higher at 26.8%. 

We also know that between August to October 2024, the unemployment rate in the North East for those aged 16+ was 5.4%, significantly higher than UK average by 1.1%.  

We will continue to work with members to tackle some of these challenges head on. Our Knowledge Programme will explore matters such as mental health, physical health, health and wellbeing, and supporting people entering/re-entering the workplace.

This month we’re taking lessons from professional sport, as well as business and academia, with our Enabling a High Performance Workplace event.

We’ll be focusing on what high performance workplaces looks like and how to get the best from your staff. We’ll be hearing from leaders from Newcastle United Women and Sunderland AFC Women amongst others.

As the year progresses, we’ll be running sessions on employment opportunities, as well as social value, which effectively means adding benefit to the community around you.

Recruitment and crime frequently appear high on the list of concerns in the Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey, and we know that businesses are looking at recruitment and retention in increasingly diverse ways. One of those potential avenues is through the employment of ex-offenders. 

National data tells us that in 2022, around 12 million people in the UK had a criminal record. Furthermore, data from May 2023 tells us that boosting employment for prison leavers is helping to cut crime and tackle “the £18 billion annual cost of reoffending”. This supports the narrative that “ex-prisoners in steady jobs are known to be up to 9 percentage points less likely to commit further crimes.”

By embracing some of these themes, we continue to advocate for positive, productive and inclusive ways we can support businesses in the North East.

A stronger, fairer, more inclusive North East is one where everyone is given an opportunity to progress.

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