EAST MIDLANDS: Fall in region’s unemployment figures

THE NUMBER of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in Derbyshire and Derby fell by 743 according to the latest employment statistics released on Wednesday. May 15.
NEWS: News.NEWS: News.
NEWS: News.

The overall unemployment figure for the East Midlands also fell by 1,000 in the first three months of the year. UK unemployment, meanwhile, edged up by 15,000 in the first quarter of 2013 and now stands at 2.52m, which is 7.8per cent of the UK’s economically active population.

Reflecting on the figures, George Cowcher, Chief Executive of the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Today’s figures are encouraging and highlight the fact that although challenging economic headwinds remain strong for many businesses, there is still plenty of output from the private sector and local businesses are still creating jobs.

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“You only have to look over the Channel, where France again slipped into recession yesterday and other European countries still struggling, to see that in comparative terms, our economy is holding up pretty well.

“That said, our Government cannot afford to take its eye off the ball when it comes to the economy. Although Ministers talk a good game and have unveiled a number of positive policies recently, we are still not seeing enough urgency in the delivery of measures to stimulate economic activity, unleash the power of enterprise and free-up businesses to create the jobs, growth and wealth needed to secure the recovery.”