North East LEP reaction to ONS regional labour market statistics

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s chief executive, Helen Golightly OBE, has commented on today’s regional labour market statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Today’s release includes quarterly data for the North East region (for the period February to April 2022). The region includes the North East LEP area and Tees Valley.

Helen Golightly OBE, chief executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The data released today paints a slightly more positive picture than the last month with an additional 10,500 people in employment. We have seen improvement in the employment rate across the country and it’s encouraging to see the North East moving at a slightly quicker rate than the national average in this period.

“Older and younger men and women of all ages were the groups who re-entered the labour market during this quarter.

“We should however approach this month’s data with caution as the labour market remains volatile as the economy faces significant challenges with large increases in inflation and the cost of living continuing to rise. It is likely that these factors will have an impact on the labour market in months to come and we must continue to monitor these changes closely and respond accordingly.”