Unemployment up for fourth month in a row across West Midlands

The unemployment rate now stands at 4.6 per cent with the number of people out of work for the three months to February standing at 136,000.

That compares to 132,000 in the months from November to January, though still down on the 143,000 who were unemployed during the period of August to October last year.

Nationally, Britain’s unemployment rate has also risen and vacancies have fallen for the ninth month in a row as the uncertain economic outlook begins to take its toll on the UK jobs market, official figures have shown.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the unemployment rate lifted to 3.8 per cent in the three months to February, up from 3.7 per cent in the previous three months.

Most economists had expected the rate to remain unchanged.

The data also revealed that vacancies fell by another 47,000 to 1.1 million in the three months to March.

The ONS said this reflects “uncertainty across industries, as survey respondents continue to cite economic pressures as a factor in holding back on recruitment”.

But the figures also showed a rise in employment – to 75.8 per cent in the three months to February from 75.7 per cent in the previous three months – as more people returned to the jobs market in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.

Wage growth continues to be outstripped by soaring costs, with total pay including bonuses down by 4.1 per cent when Consumer Prices Index inflation is taken into account – this comes despite a 5.9% rise in earnings, according to the ONS.

Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said: “With the number of people neither working nor looking for a job down again, there were rises in both those in work and those actively looking for a job.

“However, while the group outside the labour market – termed ‘economically inactive’ – fell, the number among them who were long-term sick rose to a new record high.

“Job vacancies have fallen again but remain at very high levels.

“Meanwhile, pay continues to grow more slowly than prices, so earnings are still falling in real terms, although the gap between public and private sector earnings growth continues to narrow.

“The number of days lost to strikes picked up again in February, after January’s sharp fall, albeit not to the levels seen before Christmas. Once again education was the most affected sector, accounting for over three-fifths of the total.”

Figures for those claiming unemployment benefits, including Universal Credit, rose to 183,080 in the West Midlands.

The figure – 5 per cent of the region's working population – was up from 178,355 in the previous month.

In Shropshire, there were 4,675 people claiming unemployment benefits, including Universal Credit, compared to 4,590 previously.

For Telford & Wrekin, the number was 4,025 (3.5 per cent of the working population), compared to 4,030 previously.

Wolverhampton saw the number of claimants rise to 12,795 (7.8 per cent of the working population) from 12,465 while Sandwell's figures stood at 13,860 claimants, up from 13,510 the previous month.

Dudley had 9,365 (4.8 per cent) people claiming benefits compared to 9,280 previously while Walsall's figures stand at 9,925 (5.7 per cent), up from 9,645 previously.

In Birmingham, claimant figures stood at 62,675, up from 61,385 in February.

Overall, in Staffordshire, the number of claimants rose by 715 to 15,715 (3 per cent of the working population).

In Stafford, the number was up by 40 to 2,140 while in Lichfield the number was 1,595, up by 50.

In south Staffordshire, the number of claimants last month was 1,845 (2.8 per cent of the working population) while in Cannock chase the figure was 2,215, compared to 2,115 previously. Tamworth's claimant figures stand at 1,795 (3.7 per cent) compared to 1,680 previously.

And, in the Wyre Forest, including Kidderminster, the number of claimants was 1,965 compared to 1,930 previously.