Job rate fluctuates over past two years
LATEST employment figures have revealed flux in the Halton jobs market since before the opening of the Mersey Gateway bridge.
Data published by the Office For National Statistics (ONS) showed that between February and May this year, the number of jobseekers fell from 3,357 to 3,250.
However, it was up year on year from 3,163 in May 2018, up from 3,025 in February 2018, and slightly up from 3,212 in May 2017, the most recent set of figures from before the Mersey Gateway bridge opened.
The figures suggest there was a dip in unemployment between when the bridge opened and February 2018, before it rebounded up again during the remainder of 2018.
The Mersey Gateway bridge was promoted as a jobs powerhouse expected to create 4,640 jobs.
A Mersey Gateway Crossings Board spokeswoman has previously said this is the anticipated benefit over the 30-year lifespan of the Merseylink bridge contract.
Halton Borough Council has defended the area’s record on creating jobs and said the increase in unemployment is tiny compared to the overall workforce.
A spokeswoman for the local authority said the rise is similar to statistical neighbours such as Hartlepool and Lancaster, and that other background factors are influencing the economy including businesses
holding back from investment because of Brexit and world trade ‘tensions’.
She said Halton has more jobs per worker than the rest of the Liverpool City Region as well as the highest weekly pay and a 20% boom in the number of businesses from 201418.
She said: “While there has been a slight increase in the number of people out of work year on year (87) the figure is so small that it would be difficult to draw any conclusions regarding the reasons for this, bearing in mind that 9,702 of our residents receive Universal Credit and the borough’s working age population is 79,448.
“The slight increase in the number of claimants is at a similar rate to our nearest statistical neighbours (Hartlepool and Lancaster have been used as comparators, as they underwent Universal Credit rollout at a similar time to Halton).
“Both regional and national statistics display a similar rate of increase over the past five years.
“Regarding the wider economy it is suggested that h global lbl and d national l factors will have more of impact notably businesses not committing to investment decisions because of Brexit, but also tensions in World Trade.
“Overall, the diversity of Halton’s economy ie the quality and types of businesses we host and the offer we have in terms of excellent transport connections and connectivity, great employment sites, an accessible skilled work force a strong supply chain all help the borough to weather this uncertainty and potential economic shocks.
“This is evidenced by the following:
“Halton has a greater ‘jobs density’ than the rest of the Liverpool City Region and the North West (2017).
“Jobs Density represents the ratio of total jobs to working age (16-64) population.
“Halton has seen a near 20% growth in the number of enterprises (2014 to 2018).
“Halton has the 13th highest (out of 39 local authorities) weekly pay for residents in the North West – and the highest in the Liverpool City Region.
“In terms of number of business enterprises – Halton has the 15th highest percentage growth in the North West (out of 39 local authorities) since 2014 (to 2018).”
Alok Sharma, employment minister, said: “Wages outpacing inflation for 16 months in a row, more people in work than ever before and jointrecord female employment, means better prospects for many thousands of UK families and shows the continued resilience of the UK labour market.
“With unemployment still falling, remaining at its lowest level since 1974, its clear that UK employers continue to have confidence in our hard-working workforce.
“And with many schools breaking up this week there are some great opportunities for young people to get a taste of work over the summer – boosting their CVs as well as their bank balances as they prepare for their future careers.”