West Midlands sees massive fall in jobless total
THE West Midlands has once again bucked the trend on unemployment with the region seeing the largest fall in the UK, according to latest figures.
The Office for National Statistics said unemployment in the region for the three month period between May to July was 156,000, a fall of 21,000 on the February to April quarter, giving the region an unemployment rate of 5.7% – very close to the national average of 5.5%.
The latest figures for the West Midlands also show a 44,000 decline on the May to July period last year – an overall decline of 1.6% over the 12 months.
Nationally, there are 1.82m people unemployed – a fall of just 10,000 on the February to April figure and one which leaves the overall rate of unemployment unchanged at 5.5%. However, the overall trend continues to show decline with the national picture at this stage last year 0.7% higher.
The ONS data also shows that pay (both inclusive and exclusive of bonuses) increased by 2.9% compared with a year earlier.
Business leaders in Greater Birmingham said the fall demonstrated the continuing strength of the local economy.
Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “The fall in unemployment shows that the region is in a good state, and in light of on-going Combined Authority discussions we hope that devolution agreements build on these strengths further. We look forward to subsequent Combined Authority announcements in forthcoming weeks.”
Mike Steventon, Midlands regional chair at accountancy and advisory KPMG, said: “The ONS employment statistics out today paint a disappointing picture for the West Midlands, with the region having the third lowest level of employment for the period May to July at 70.8%, a drop of 0.2% on the previous period. Such figures chime with our recent Report on Jobs which continues to show low levels of candidate availability for both permanent and temporary jobs.
“With our region a centre for industry and particularly strong in the manufacturing, financial and service industries, it is a real concern that we don’t seem to be getting people into employment.
“While the problem is multi-faceted, one area which stands out as needing heavy investment is training and skills. Business can help here, working alongside academia, to ensure we are growing and nurturing our home grown talent, growing our workforce, and ensuring the West Midlands doesn’t lag behind when it comes to contributing to the on-going economic recovery of the UK.”
