Uncertainty bears down on businesses as unemployment rises

Louise Bennett

Coventry has seen a pre-Christmas jump in unemployment while Warwickshire saw a small fall – and business leaders say uncertainty is starting to bear down on some firms in the region.

In Coventry, the claimant count rose from 4,500 to 4,690 and in Warwickshire there was a small drop from 5,815 to 5,770.

Over the course of the year, the figure in Coventry has crept up from just under 4,000 while in Warwickshire there has been an increase from 4,415 last December.

Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “There has been a steady rise in the claimant count across the region over the course of the year and, naturally, that is a cause for concern.

“There are a number of factors at play and we shouldn’t overstate any of them but we have to recognise that uncertainty is starting to bear down on firms.

“Companies want to be able to plot their future course and, for many, that is proving to be very difficult in the current climate.

“On top of that, there is a shortage of skills to fill the roles that our economy requires and that’s nothing new – it’s something we’ve been highlighting for some time now.

“Then, of course, there is the additional uncertainty on what could be happening with workers from the EU and the wider immigration policy after Brexit.

“So it’s a credit to firms across the patch that they continue to invest and grow their businesses and that the economy across the region remains in robust health.”

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