Private sector jobs surge in North West

An employment boom created by the private sector has seen the number of jobs in the North West boosted by 35,000 since 2010, figures have revealed.

Employment Minister Mark Hoban has praised businesses – big and small - in the North West for stepping up to the mark and creating jobs for hard working people.

The increase of 99,000 private sector jobs in the region since 2010, brings the total working in the sector to 2.53m - more than offsetting the 50,000 reduction in the public sector.

Minister for Employment Mark Hoban said: “These encouraging figures prove the cynics - who claimed the private sector wouldn’t step up to the mark - wrong.

“As we work hard to bring public spending under control, firms in the private sector are taking more and more people on to grow their businesses.

“There’s still lots to do to help those hard-working people who haven’t yet found a job to realize their aspirations, but these are encouraging signs – and a further indication that the economy is moving from rescue to recovery.”

The number of people in work in the UK has hit record levels, unemployment is falling and the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance nationally dropped by 29,200 last month.

Ministers are committed to rebalancing the economy by helping the private sector create sustainable jobs while public spending falls as the government tackles the deficit.