West Midlands job statistics released today presented a mixed picture despite the UK unemployment rate falling to 4.6 per cent - its lowest in 42 years.
Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) said that a welcome fall in unemployment was offset by an increase in the inactivity rate and a drop in employment figures.
Employment in the region decreased by 0.7 to 71.4 per cent and unemployment fell by 0.1 to 5.7 per cent. However, the “inactivity” rate – the number of people not earning – increased by 1 to 24.2 per cent.
Paul Faulkner (pictured), the GBCC’s chief executive, said: “As voters get ready to head to the polls, we are seeing a record number of jobs created across the country.
“However, there is a more mixed picture in our region, with a welcome fall in the unemployment level being offset by an increase in the inactivity rate and a drop in employment figures.
“This could be attributed to a large increase in the number of full-time employees in work and a subsequent drop in the number of part-time employees across the UK.
“Over the last few years, great strides have been made in boosting employment opportunities for our local workforce and the newly-elected West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, has made a commitment to eradicating youth employment in our region over the next three years which will go some way in tackling longstanding skills gaps in the local labour market. “Our latest Quarterly Business Report highlighted the underlying strength and resilience of our regional economy, with turnover predictions the highest we’ve seen in almost 3 years; hopefully this will translate into a steady increase in hiring levels over the next few months.”
