Jobless rate rises but inactivity level is lower

UNEMPLOYMENT has risen in the North East but the region’s high levels of economic inactivity have come down, new figures show.

- GRAEME WHITFIELD

Office for National Statistics data on regional unemployment showed that the region’s joblessness rate rose to 5% in the period from May to July. That was slightly above the national average of 4.7% but there were higher rates of unemployment in London and the West Midlands.

The North East remains an outlier when it comes to economic inactivity - people not working due to early retirement, caring responsibilities or ill health.

The region’s figure of 27.9% has fallen slightly from last month but remains the highest in the country by some distance and means the North East has the lowest employment level in the UK.

The ONS figures show that wages are still growing at above the rate of inflation, though that gap has narrowed.