Business organisation leaders have warned of difficult times ahead after the latest North East unemployment rates highlighted continuing regional disparities.
North East figures from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) show that between April and June the region’s average employment rate for ages 16-64 was 71.4% - down on the UK rate of 75.5%. The UK’s average unemployment rate for people over the age of 16 was 3.8% but the North East rate was 5.1% – unchanged from last month’s figure.
Meanwhile, the average economic inactivity rate for those aged 16 to 64 was 24.9% for the North East, up on the national figure of 21.4% and a gap which policy leaders must be closed, as a priority, by the next Government. Marianne O’Sullivan policy manager at the North East England Chamber of Commerce said: “Today’s employment figures show that there are still gaps between the North East and the rest of the UK.
