UNEMPLOYMENT in the West Midlands has dropped by 1.2%, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics.
New data released today shows 2.43m people aged 16 to 64 were in work while 226,000 people of that age bracket were unemployed during the period March to May 2011.
Compared with the previous quarter, from December 2010 to February 2011, unemployment has fallen by around 32,000, with 24,000 people gaining jobs and the total working population shrinking by 8,000.
The ONS said there were 2.65m people in the West Midlands in the 16 to 64 ‘economically active’ age bracket in the period March to May 2011.
Year-on-year, unemployment has fallen by around 5,000 while employment levels have dropped by 13,000, with 18,000 people no longer economically active.
Employment levels in the UK among 16 to 64 year olds are 70.7%, or 29.27m, with unemployment at 2.45m, while in England 24.63m people, or 70.8%, are in work with 2.07m unemployed.
This is a slight drop in unemployment compared with the previous quarter of 26,000 people for the UK and 6,000 in England.
Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: “There continue to be some encouraging signs in the labour market figures, particularly with the continued rise in private sector employment.
“It’s really important that we continue to support the economy and encourage businesses to invest and create jobs.
“However, we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge that we face to help people into employment.”
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