Growth in unemployment slows across Greater Manchester
Date Posted: 17 June 2009
Growth in unemployment slowed across Greater Manchester in the three months to April, figures released today show.
The Commission for the New Economy calculate that the total number of unemployed people in Greater Manchester reached 125,045 in the first 3 months to April 2009 (up from 120,700 in the 3 months to March). The 'official' unemployment rate - which is the broadest measure of unemployment including all people looking for a job whether or not they are claiming unemployment benefit - rose from 9.5% to 9.8%. The 0.3 percentage point rise was the slowest increase for a year.
Figure also released today for the numbers of jobseeker's allowance claimants show an increase of just 0.5% between April and May 2009 to 78,310. The rate of increase in claimants is the slowest in twelve months, and significantly below the double digit increases seen at the start of 2009, adding more evidence that Greater Manchester may be past the worst of the recession.
Three Greater Manchester districts - Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan - saw the number of unemployment benefit claimants fall between April and May. It is the first time that any Greater Manchester district has experienced a fall in jobseeker's allowance claimants since May 2008.
Baron Frankal, Director of Economic Strategy at New Economy, said:
"There is still a long road ahead. No-one is claiming green shoots of recovery - every reasonable economist is predicting continued rises in unemployment and tough conditions for business. The National Institute for Economic and Social Research reported this week that the UK is out of the recession, but it is more likely that we are just passing the lowest point in the valley."
John Holden, Head of Economic Research at New Economy, added:
"While the evidence that the worst of the recession is over continues to build, and it is encouraging to see unemployment beginning to fall in some Greater Manchester districts, there is still a mismatch between the number of jobs available and the number of people looking for work. In May there were still five jobseeker's allowance claimants for every one job advertised at Jobcentre Plus."