Region continues to buck the national unemployment trend East Midlands once again posts strong job figures

UNEMPLOYMENT in the East Midlands continued to buck the national trend according to new figures from the Office For National Statistics.

Nationally in the three months to January, 4.3 per cent of people remain out of work.

However, regionally the figure is just 4.1 per cent, a 0.1 per cent improvement on the previous quarters figure.

The figures show a net 25,059 more people in employment for the period compared with the three months to the end of October last year and 19,019 more than two years ago.

Scott Knowles, chief executive at East Midlands Chamber , said: “Once again the East Midlands is recording a lower unemployment percentage than the average for the rest of the country, which should reinforce to Government the need invest in this region.

“We make more here in the East Midlands than anywhere else in the country and we are very good at selling what we make to global markets, and yet we receive only 60 per cent average per capita infrastructure investment.

“The chamber is lobbying hard to persuade the Government that as a region we deserve at least 100 per cent average per to capita ment.

“Just think how much more we could achieve with better broadband, better mobile connectivity, better roads and a 21st Century electrified railway.

“Coupled with the rise in the number of people in work with recent announcements of wage growth – which is now predicted to return to positive territory sooner rather than infrastructure invest- later - and reduced inflation and the overall picture is one of a relatively buoyant economy despite lingering doubts over Brexit.”

Despite the quarterly rise in employment and fall in unemployment, different figures released by the ONS recently showed an increase in the number of Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.