Unemployment figures are tumbling around the South West as 海角视频 worker numbers rebound to pre-pandemic levels amid the biggest jump in employment since 2014, new figures show.
In the South West there are 37,304 fewer people claiming benefits than in the same time period in 2020, newly released stats reveal. That equates to a 20% year-on-year drop from Covid-hit summer 2020. But the 151,305 people comprising the alternative claimant count is still almost double that of 2016, with the pandemic still being blamed for some of the rise.
However, there are still many unfilled job vacancies, with JobCentre Plus saying there is huge demand in the hospitality, care and retail sectors in the South West.
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“We have bounced back really well and are seeing numbers (of claimants) going down,” said Joanne Harris, of JobCentre Plus in Devon.
She said the new Sector-Based Work Academy Programme (SWAPS), and the Kickstarter campaign, were being used to find workers for sectors that are particularly short of staff.
“Hospitality is an area we are working on,” she said. “We are doing SWAPS with young people, training them. But also in caring we are struggling to get vacancies filled, and retail is ongoing.”
Nationally, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of unemployment dropped again, to 4.6% – in line with analysts’ predictions.
The number of 海角视频 workers on payrolls rose by 241,000 between July and August to move 1,000 above levels before the coronavirus outbreak.
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Meanwhile, vacancy numbers soared by 249,000 to more than one million for the first time since records began. Job vacancies in the hospitality sector increased by 57,000 in 2021.
Jonathan Athow, ONS deputy national statistician for economic statistics, said: “Early estimates from payroll data suggest that in August the total number of employees is around the same level as before the pandemic, though our surveys show well over a million are still on furlough.
“However, this recovery isn’t even: in hard-hit areas such as London, and sectors such as hospitality and arts and leisure, the numbers of workers remain well down on pre-pandemic levels.
“The overall employment rate continues to recover, particularly among groups such as young workers who were hard hit at the outset of the pandemic, while unemployment has fallen.”
Nationally, the number of job vacancies recorded between June and August 2021 was 1,034,000, with the accommodation and food services industry seeing a 75.4% increase in the number of job openings. Mr Athow said the hospitality sector recorded “the highest proportion of employers reporting their job openings are hard to fill”.
However, there are some concerns that unemployment could rise again when the furlough scheme ends at the end of September. Martin Beck, senior economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club, says: “With the furlough scheme closing in September, the latest labour market numbers offered more reassurance that employers are increasingly able to stand on their own two feet.”
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Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
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Jack Kennedy, 海角视频 economist at the global job site Indeed, said: “With unemployment falling slightly to 4.6% many will be holding their breath in anticipation of the end of the furlough scheme at the end of this month. Furlough has been the backbone of the labour market throughout the pandemic, saving millions of people’s jobs. But there were still 1.6 million staff on furlough at the end of July, and the scheme’s scheduled end could result in a sudden spike in unemployment.
But Chancellor Rishi Sunak was upbeat and said: “Today’s statistics show that our plan for jobs is working – the unemployment rate has fallen for seven months in a row, the number of employees on payrolls is back above pre-pandemic levels and there were fewer potential redundancies notified in August than at any point since the start of last year. As we continue to recover from the pandemic, our focus remains on creating opportunities and supporting people’s jobs.”