Statistics Archives - North East Local Enterprise Partnership

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Chief Executive, Helen Golightly OBE, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The release includes quarterly data for the North East region for the three-month period November 2022 to January 2023. The region includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), said: “The data released today shows encouraging signs of progress in the region’s labour market over the past 12 months. The latest regional employment total is over 25,000 higher than a year ago and the employment rate has increased by more than the England equivalent. In addition, the unemployment rate has fallen by more than in any other region.

“However, there is work to be done to close the gap further as the North East still has the lowest regional employment rate and the highest working age economic inactivity rate, where people are neither employed nor seeking work. It is a concern that the number of economically inactive people has only fallen slightly in the last year despite the increased employment total.

“Additionally, we need to ensure that employment increases across the entire North East workforce. Experimental ONS data suggests that the rise in employment in the last year in the North East has been concentrated among older females and younger males.”

See further labour market analysis on the North East Evidence Hub.

Today’s release includes quarterly data for the North East region (for the period September to November 2022). The region includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP), said: “The data released today shows that there has been an annual growth in employment of 1% and quarter increase of 0.4%. Whilst the North East remained at the bottom of the tables for overall employment and unemployment rates, we saw the second largest annual improvement in both these indicators amongst the nine English regions.

“We are seeing more people coming out of economic inactivity and into the labour market, with similar numbers finding work and moving to unemployed status, and actively seeking employment.

“This is probably an indication of the impact of higher costs of living with inflation at its highest level in recent years and people feeling the need to find ways of increasing their income.

“We can also see a drop off in demand for goods and services and for labour amongst businesses, particularly in smaller businesses. The latest regional vacancies data shows that online job adverts in the North East are only 5% higher than their pre-COVID benchmark, compared to 31% higher in November 2022. This indicates a declining confidence amongst businesses in the recruitment of new staff and will likely have contributed to an increase in those claiming out of work benefits in December.

“At this time, when people and businesses are focused on the cost of living and costs of doing business, it is notable that PAYE data released today saw pay rises averaging 6.4%. This was failing to keep pace with inflation caused by price increases in products including food and energy, which in real life terms sees a further net drop in incomes of 2.6% for the third quarter in a row. Private sector pay growth nationally was running at 7.2% compared with just 3.3% in the public sector.

“As we progress through the winter, the cost of living will continue to be an issue of concern for residents and employers and is likely to continue to impact on sectors of the economy which rely on discretionary spending. For example, entertainment and transport were the sectors which had seen the largest decline in employment in this quarter.”

Access all the latest labour market information on the North East Evidence Hub.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s chief executive, Helen Golightly OBE, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Today’s release includes quarterly data for the North East region (for the period February to April 2022). The region includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley.

Helen Golightly OBE, chief executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The data released today paints a slightly more positive picture than the last month with an additional 10,500 people in employment. We have seen improvement in the employment rate across the country and it’s encouraging to see the North East moving at a slightly quicker rate than the national average in this period.

“Older and younger men and women of all ages were the groups who re-entered the labour market during this quarter.

“We should however approach this month’s data with caution as the labour market remains volatile as the economy faces significant challenges with large increases in inflation and the cost of living continuing to rise. It is likely that these factors will have an impact on the labour market in months to come and we must continue to monitor these changes closely and respond accordingly.”

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s chief executive, Helen Golightly OBE, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Today’s statistical release includes quarterly data for the North East region (for the period December 2021 to February 2022). The region includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley Combined Authority area.

Also included in the release are statistics for the North East LEP area and its local authorities for the calendar year of 2021.

Helen Golightly OBE, chief executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This month’s figures show the position in the North East economy is largely unchanged from the last quarter.

“There has been a recent small increase in the number of people working in the region, with about 2,300 more people in employment than in the previous quarter, and there was also a decrease of 4,900 in unemployment. However, the working age employment rate has fallen slightly, suggesting that much of the employment increase was among workers aged 65 plus.

“The North East employment rate remains the lowest among the nine English regions, with the unemployment rate and working age economic inactivity rate both being the highest. The latter measures the number of people not in work or actively seeking employment.

“And progress in the past year has not matched other areas of the country. As we recover from COVID-19, the North East is the only region with a significantly lower employment rate than a year earlier, and the largest increase in the economic inactivity rate over the period.

“Looking at local data for the last year, employment in the North East LEP area decreased more for women than men, and we have seen increases in economic inactivity across all working age groups in the North East. There has been a large growth in numbers citing looking after family or home as a reason for inactivity.

“However, there is an opportunity to do more to benefit the economy and boost employment, with employers continuing to report demand in the labour market and difficulties in recruitment.

“Energy prices, along with a range of other price rises, are going to increase costs for families and we urge government to focus invest into the North East to encourage more progress in the labour market.”

Today’s statistics cover the North East region, which includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley Combined Authority area. The headline rates cover the period October to December 2021.

“Today’s statistics give us a post furlough picture for the first time. They show that there wasn’t significant disruption at the end of the furlough scheme, but the North East continues to struggle, particularly because of rising levels of economic inactivity where people have left the labour market and are no longer looking for work.

“We have seen a decrease in unemployment, which would usually be good news as it means that there are fewer people looking for work, but in the last year, instead of moving into employment, people looking for work have moved into the economically inactive category.

“The latest data does not show the reasons for increased inactivity, but it does highlight a particularly large decrease in employment among North East women in the last year, which is concerning.

“The number of people claiming unemployment related benefits in the North East LEP area shows a monthly rise that is 6,000 higher than at the start of the pandemic. It’s the first time we have seen a rise since February 2021.

“We should also be concerned as this data reflects the trajectory in other recent data. The latest regional export data for Q3 2021 saw the value of North East exports decline for the third consecutive quarter. North East exports are now 7% lower than they were two years ago.

“We urge government to strongly focus its levelling up agenda on the needs of the North East. It is clear that whilst many other regions are moving ahead as they recover from COVID-19, the North East continues to face labour market challenges.

“We believe levelling up the economy is the right thing to do, but the time is now to invest in the places that need it the most.”

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s (North East LEP) Strategy and Policy Director, Richard Baker, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

“Looking at today’s regional labour market statistics, the most important factor to note is that government support schemes have helped keep a significant number of people in employment since March. Data from HMRC shows more than 250,000 people in the North East LEP area have been supported by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and a further 54,000 self-employed people received government grants.

“Going into lockdown, the data shows that the North East region’s labour market was making further progress towards bridging the employment rate gap with other parts of the country. However, we know that the labour market is severely disrupted and that this is not the current position for our region, and the 55% increase in the number of people claiming Universal Credit in the North East LEP area since March 2020 is a clear warning about future risks. Whilst numbers here may be lower than increases seen across England as a whole, they do highlight the reality of the situation for many people in our region.

“Unfortunately, standard ONS employment data does not currently provide the analysis we need to assess the overall current status of regional and local labour markets. Looking at the national level as an indicator, the data suggests that the UK has around 650,000 fewer employees on payrolls than in March 2020 and that, in June, there were approximately half a million employees away from their jobs specifically for coronavirus-related reasons that were receiving no pay while their job was on hold.

“We cannot, therefore, come to a definitive view about the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on employment figures. It will only be when government support packages end that we begin to see the true picture, and this combination of data shows the importance of a carefully designed approach to winding down Government support and the importance of boosting economic activity.

“The North East COVID-19 Economic Response Group, which was set up by the North East LEP, our Combined Authorities, Business and Universities to support the regions economy through the coronavirus pandemic, recently published a summary report highlighting its approach to help stabilise the economy. Protecting people’s jobs and supporting businesses to retain staff will be vital in the coming months, otherwise we can expect unemployment figures to rise significantly in the latter part of the year.”

In response to the recently published regional trade statistics (released on Thursday 07 March), Victoria Sutherland, Senior Economist at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The latest figures show the value of exports from the North East region, including Tees Valley, is increasing, which is positive news for the region’s economy.

“Businesses in the North East exported £13.2 billion of goods in 2018. This is equivalent to almost £8,000 per working age person, the third highest rate in England.

“The value of exports has grown by 2% over the last year and 10% over the last two years. Almost 4,300 businesses in the region exported goods in 2018, 2% more than in 2016.

“In terms of value, 60% of North East goods exported went to the EU, the joint highest proportion among English regions. Over the past two years, the value of exports from the region to markets outside of the EU has increased by 12%. The combined value of North East exports to five non-EU countries (Norway, the USA, Australia, Japan and Turkey) increased by almost £0.5 billion.

“The statistics also provide data on goods imported into the North East. In 2018, £14 billion of goods were imported, with many of these used in our manufacturing sector. Continuing to ensure North East businesses are able to access International markets and goods is important going forward.”

Colin Bell, Business Growth Director at the North East LEP said: “The increase in value of exports to markets outside the EU from the North East is positive news, especially as we continue to negotiate our exit from the European Union.

“It’s also very encouraging to see the number of business exporting in the region has increased since 2016. This signals ambition to scale up and grow, which is exactly what we need to see if we want to strengthen our economy and create more and better jobs.

“The North East LEP and its partners will continue to support businesses in the region to develop and grow their international connections through resources like the North East Growth Hub, with its dedicated Export Toolkit.”

Tag: Statistics

North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

North East Local Enterprise Partnership reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

North East Local Enterprise Partnership reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

Newly released regional trade statistics show North East exports continue to increase