North East unemployment on the rise

The North East region has the lowest level of employment in the country.

A recent survey from the Office of National Statistics showed that the North East has the highest rate of unemployment in the country.

The rate of employment is the lowest in the North East by 1.2 per cent, and is only 71.9 per cent.

The number of people currently unemployed in the region stands at 5.4 per cent, which is higher than any other region in England, with only Yorkshire and the West Midlands coming close at 5.2 per cent.

One Sunderland resident, Andrew Hagen, 26, has now been unemployed for two years after having to leave his previous job in a call centre due to being diagnosed with epilepsy and being considered a health and safety risk.

Andrew said on his own experience with unemployment: “I’d love to earn my money by working, not by being on these kind of benefits.”

The ONS carries out this survey monthly and the data shows that the rate of unemployment in the North East has risen by 1.1 per cent since August 2018, meaning that fewer people are working in the region. 

This means that within the sixth month period unemployment has risen from 4.3 per cent to 5.4 per cent of the population aged over 16 facing unemployment.

SR News contacted a spokesperson from the Department of Workplace and Pensions but they were unable to comment on this matter.

Click below to find out more about Andrew’s unemployment story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuOuPJXFqvs&feature=youtu.be

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