South Tyneside jobless claimant count down but mixed picture across North East

The number of people classed as looking for work in South Tyneside fell for the third successive month in June.
The latest North East jobs figures have been releasedThe latest North East jobs figures have been released
The latest North East jobs figures have been released

There were 4,150 people claiming out-of-work benefits in the borough last month, down from 4,435 in May.

Jan Neve, from JobCentre plus, said the job market locally was ‘very buoyant.’

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“We have got a lot of jobs in the area and we are finding quite a lot of people work,” she said.

“Contact centres are very busy and we have got quite a lot of manufacturing going on in the Sunderland and Washington areas.”

Across the North East, the number of people classed as unemployed was at 61,000, a fall of 17,000 over the year - but employment was also down 24,000 over the year, to 1,201,000.

North East England Chamber of Commerce Policy Adviser Paul Carbert said: “The figures show a slight dip in the number of people employed in the North East, following several quarters of sustained growth. However, unemployment is also down, and the unemployment rate and level at a record low.

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“The fall in employment is mirrored by an increase in the number of people classified as economically inactive.

“The North East economic inactivity rate is above the national average, although the gap has closed in recent years.”