More people in work as region's unemployment rate falls

THE North East's employment position has improved in the most recent official statistics thanks to a significant fall in unemployment.

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New figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the region’s unemployment rate fell from 5% to 4.7% in the three months to the end of January. That was the second month of falling unemployment in the region and puts the North East only just above the national average of 4.4%.

The region’s rate of economic inactivity - people who are not in the workforce, typically due to early retirement, ill health or caring responsibilities - increased slightly to 26.1%, which is the highest rate in England.