Third of UK still hit by a lack of jobs
Employment rate fails to pick up in 4 regions
THE jobs market has yet to recover in four of the UK’s 12 regions, research shows.
Chancellor George Osborne was gloating yesterday as figures showed the proportion of Brits in work at a record high of 73.6%.
But think tank the Resolution Foundation found the rate was 1.9% lower than pre-recession levels in Northern Ireland.
Similarly, the South East’s rate was 1.5% worse than in 2008, Scotland’s lagged at 1.2% and the North East’s 0.2%.The founda- tion’s chief economist Matthew Whittaker warned: “As recovery builds, attention will turn to who is benefiting from it.”
The same research found real earnings are, on average, still £25 a week below their peak in 2008.
That is despite official figuresg showing average pay ay rose 3% in the year to August.
TUC chief Frances O’Grady said public sector r wages were “fallingg behind” the private e sector. She added:d: “The challenge noww is delivering a recovery that works for everyone across the country, regardless of which region or sector they work in.”
Yesterday’s figures showed employment rose by 140,000 to 31 million in the three months to August – the highest since rec records began in 1971.
Unemployment was down by 79,000 to 1.77 million. But the number claiming j jobseekers’ benefits increased by 4,600 to 796,200 last month. Record employment rate announced by the Government yesterday DAVID Beckham turns out in blue to model kit for the new season.
The former England footie ace was back on international duty in Portugal as he shot an advertising campaign for clothing firm H&M.
Becks, 40, cut a striking figure on the streets of Lisbon wearing a navy jacket and matching trousers.
The father-of-four finished the look with a classic white T-shirt. It could well be a winning set piece for H&M.