Four of top ten jobless blackspots are in city
Jobless numbers fall but more must be done, warns chamber
THE number of people in work in the West Midlands is higher than ever – but Birmingham continues to have some of the highest pockets of unemployment in the country.
Latest figures this week showed the number of people in work in the region had increased by 69,000 over the past year as the number of unemployed fell by 17,000.
It means there are currently 143,000 people in the West Midlands region who are unemployed.
But the region’s unemployment rate is still one of the highest in the country at five per cent.
This is higher than any other English region except one, Yorkshire and The Humber.
Official figures showing the number of people claiming unemployment benefit by Parliamentary constituency revealed four of the ten English constituencies with the highest rates were in Birmingham.
Hartlepool had the highest claimant rate, with Birmingham Ladywood in second place with 6,260 claimants, 6.2 per cent of the working-age population aged 16 to 64.
Great Yarmouth was in third place, followed by Birmingham Hodge Hill, Birmingham Erdington and then Birmingham Perry Barr.
Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce chief executive Paul
Skills shortages in our region continue to affect employers’ ability to source the right people Paul Faukner
Faulkner welcomed the overall job figures but said much needed to be done locally to tackle the unemployment hot spots.
He said: “The regional labour market statistics this month are highly encouraging.
“We are proud to see that the West Midlands has had the largest decrease in unemployment rate estimates of any region between December and February, and we hope that the rise in our employment rate is the start of an upward trajectory.
“We are also pleased to see the national rise in nominal average weekly earnings surpassing February’s inflation figures, which will ease costs for those in employment.
“However, locally, employment rates trail behind the national figures, and there is still work to be done to ensure that employers have access to the skilled talent that they need, and that they are able to offer quality jobs that will drive increases in productivity and economic performance.
“Skills shortages in our region continue to affect employers’ ability to source the right people for key roles.”
Mr Faulkner said clarity from the government over funding for apprenticeships was vital to the region’s long-term prospects.
He added: “From the end of this month, apprenticeship-levy paying employers who are not using all of their levy funds themselves will be able to transfer ten per cent of the funds to another organisation, and the Chamber hopes that this will boost apprenticeships and longterm, employment in the region.
“However, we are increasingly concerned by the caveats surrounding this and call on the government to address the growing complexity of apprenticeship funding.”