North East LEP ONS Labour Market Statistics Reaction – March 2019

North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Senior Economist Victoria Sutherland gave her reaction to today’s regional labour market statistics.

“We are pleased to see today’s statistics have positive news for the North East.

“Across the region, employment has increased by 7,000 over the quarter. Unemployment has fallen by 4,000 over the same period. This decline means the unemployment rate is now 5.1%, compared to 5.4% three months ago.

“Today’s statistics are particularly welcome as they suggest that the increases in unemployment and decreases in employment we saw in mid-2018 are being reversed.

“Whilst these are positive results, there continues to be significant uncertainty in the economy making planning for the future challenging for businesses.”

The North East LEP will continue to work with its partners to support businesses to grow and deliver more and better jobs for the region.