Unemployment in the North East has fallen to another record low but there are growing concerns on the number of people in the region opting out of the labour market entirely.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics show the region’s unemployment rate fell to 4.2% in the three months to the end of September, lower than the previous record low of 4.4% recorded last month and close to the national average of 3.6%. The North East no longer has the highest unemployment rate in the UK, which is instead in the West Midlands.
But the positive news on unemployment - which was hailed on a visit to the North East last week by Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey - comes alongside growing worries about the number of people being able to work because of ill health or the cost of childcare.
