Brighter news for jobseekers

Dr Brian Sloan, Chief Economist at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

There is encouraging news for jobseekers as the claimant count falls again across Greater Manchester.

Last month 83,736 people claimed Jobseeker's Allowance compared with 84,432 the month before.

Dr Brian Sloan, Chief Economist at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “Today’s labour market figures are once again encouraging for the region’s jobseekers, as the claimant count across Greater Manchester fell for the fourth consecutive month by 696 to 83,736.

“Businesses have continued to report to us through our Quarterly Economic Survey that they are creating more jobs and looking ahead that is set to continue. There was also a further fall in the number of young people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance across Greater Manchester.

“The wider North West saw the highest increase of any UK region in the number of people moving into employment, increasing by 64,000 compared with the previous quarter. These numbers reinforce the positive trends that the Chamber has been keen to highlight in recent months and suggest that the region is continuing to see growth at present.

“Challenges remain, particularly in addressing the high level of youth unemployment, and whilst we are moving in the right direction more must be done to support investment.

“There are many infrastructure and large scale private sector investments that have been stalled for too long and we must get these underway to create more jobs in our region, especially in the construction sector. In the months ahead there will be upward pressure on unemployment and the Jobseeker’s Allowance count, as young people leave full-time education and this will mask some of the positive news.”