West Midlands bucks rising unemployment trend
The West Midlands has again bucked the national trend of increasing numbers out of work.
In the three months to January the unemployment total in the region fell by 9,000 to 141,000.
Last month though saw a 4,815 increase in the numbers claiming unemployment benefits, including Jobseeker's Allowance and the unemployment element of Universal Credit, across the West Midlands to 92,7800.
Nationally the claimant count increased by 9,200 last month to 837,800 – the highest level for more than three years.
There was a rise of 24,000 in unemployment in the UK to 1.45 million in the quarter, following a similar jump in the previous quarter, but the number of people in work has reached a record high, while earnings have "nudged up" although still growing more slowly than prices, new figures from the Office of National Statistics reveal.
Employment increased by 168,000 in the quarter to January to 32.2m, the highest figure since records began in 1971, giving a joint record employment rate of 75.3 per cent.
Claimant numbers were up across the Black Country and Staffordshire.
The number claiming in Dudley rose by 310 to 6,800 – 3.5 per cent of the working population – with Wolverhampton up 240 to 6,995 (4.4 per cent), Sandwell increasing by 225 to 7,330 (3.6 per cent) and Walsall rising 175 to 5,070 (three per cent).
For Staffordshire the total was up 555 to 6,500 (1.2 per cent) with Stafford seeing a rise of 80 to 840 (one per cent), Cannock Chase up 45 to 870 (1.4 per cent) and South Staffordshire increasing by 20 to 865. Numbers claiming in Lichfield were 565 (0.9 per cent).
In Worcestershire, Wyre Forest, which includes Kidderminster, has 970 claimants (1.7 per cent).
Nationally unemployment is 127,000 lower than a year ago, according to the ONS and is at a record low for men aged 25 to 34.
The number of people classed as economically inactive, including students, those on long-term sick leave, taken early retirement or who have given up looking for work, fell by 136,000 to 8.7m in the latest quarter, giving a rate of 21 per cent, a joint record low. It was the biggest quarterly fall for more than five years.
Average earnings increased by 2.8 per cent in the year to January, a rise of 0.1 per cent on the previous month, and the highest since September 2015. The figure is 0.6 per cent higher than a year ago.
Job vacancies were up by 10,000 to 816,000.
