Britain’s unemployment rate has risen to its highest level for nearly a year as further cracks show in the jobs market, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics said the rate of UK unemployment rose to 4.3 per cent in the three months to March, which is the highest since May to July last year and up from 4.2 per cent in the previous three months. The West Midlands figure for January to March stands at 5.1 per cent.
Most economists were expecting earnings growth to fall to 5.9 per cent, marking the second time in a row that the decline in earnings growth has failed to match forecasts. In other signs of a cooling jobs market, more timely figures from HM Revenue & Customs estimated the number of UK workers on payrolls tumbled by 85,000 to 30.2 million in April, which is the largest fall since May 2020, although the ONS said this was subject to revision.
In Sandwell, the figure stood at 13,435 , down from 13,540 while the figure in Walsall was 9,600 , down from 9,780.The number of people claiming benefits in Staffordshire stood at 15,805 , down from 16,130.In Cannock Chase the number was 2,115 , down 40 from 2,155 while the figure for Lichfield was 1,470 , a fall from 1,555 in March.
“While we are dealing with some challenges in our labour supply, including pandemic impacts, as our reforms on childcare, pensions tax reform and welfare come online I am confident we will start to increase the number of people in work.”
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