Unemployment in the North East has fallen to a new record low despite rising across the UK as a whole.
The rate of unemployment in the North East fell slightly to 3.5%, which is believed to be the lowest rate on record. That came as the national rate of joblessness rose unexpectedly to 4%, with the North East now having lower unemployment than six other regions of the UK, including London and the South East.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that, over the last year, the North East has seen the UK’s largest fall in both unemployment and economic inactivity. The number of people in work has risen by three percentage points, the highest increase in the country.
