Mixed bag on employment for the West Midlands
The West Midlands region saw the largest increase in job creation of any region in the UK over the last three months, according to latest figures.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed 65,000 workforce jobs were created in the region between December and March.
The new jobs will make welcome reading to many after several months of decline.
However, the statistics also presented slight cause for concern as unemployment again rose – by 0.2% – for the March and May quarter.
The employment rate remained unchanged at 71.8%, while inactivity fell by 0.2%.
Nationally there were 1.49m people – 64,000 fewer than for December 2016 to February 2017 and 152,000 fewer than for a year earlier. The rate was 4.5%, down from 4.9% for a year earlier and the lowest since 1975.
In the West Midlands there were 166,000 classed as unemployed, a rise of 6,000 on the previous quarter; a rate of 5.9%.
Commenting, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce chief executive Paul Faulkner said: “The news on the number of jobs created in the West Midlands earlier in the year is a great testament to our region’s renaissance and position as a top quality place to start, grow and move a business.
“However, the more recent statistics show a slight rise in unemployment. This is a concern and further evidence of the need to ensure that people living in the West Midlands are skilled and able to move in to the jobs being created.
“The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s most recent Quarterly Business Report (QBR) showed that half of employers in Greater Birmingham had attempted to recruit in the last three months.”
He said this represented a vast number of jobs and was a real opportunity for the region to kickstart growth.
