North East business leaders react to latest employment figures

Employment in the North East stands at 1,161,000, a fall of 9,000 (0.8%) over the quarter and a fall of 33,000 (2.8%) over the year. The North East employment rate stands at 71.6. This compares to a rate of 74.7% nationally.

North East unemployment stands at 74,000, no statistically significant change over the quarter (a slight percentage increase of 0.4%) and an increase of 3,000 (4.4%) over the year. The North East unemployment rate stands at 5.8%. This compares to a rate of 4.7% nationally. (UK).

The claimant count stands at 102,300 in the North East. This is a fall of 1,500 (1.4%) and 19,800 (16.2%) on the year. The claimant count rate in the North East is 7.1%.

The employment data coves the period April to June 2021. The provisional claimant count data is for July 2021.

Niamh Corcoran, North East England Chamber of Commerce policy adviser said: “Today’s employment figures show a slight dip in the regional labour market after several months of strong growth, with employment having fallen slightly by 9,000 or 0.8%.

"This is out of step with the national figures, which show the UK as a whole seeing continued improvement in the labour market with falling unemployment and rising employment.“The North East entered the Covid-19 pandemic with lower levels of employment and higher levels of unemployment, making the region’s recovery from the pandemic more difficult. Government needs to commit to the levelling up agenda by ensuring that all regions are supported to recover and that none are left behind.”