Paul Carbert, policy adviser, North East England Chamber of Commerce: “The figures published this morning show a slight fall in employment in the North East over the previous quarter, but the region’s labour market is in a much healthier position than 12 months ago. The North East has seen the largest increase in the employment rate, and the largest fall in the unemployment rate, of any region since October to December 2016. We must continue to focus on creating the conditions for economic growth, and ensuring that the education and skills system is aligned with the needs of business.
David Blair, managing director of Newcastle-based BMC Recruitment Group said: “The employment statistics show that real progress has been made over the past year. It is certainly reflective of what we have witnessed with regards to recruitment. Our client base includes a range of businesses from Plc to SMEs and we are increasingly seeing an increased demand for fresh talent.
“This demand is across multiple disciplines including finance, technology, sales and marketing and engineering and it’s testament to the breadth of economic activity in the North East. These sectors are our core disciplines, there is great demand and we are seeing particularly strong growth in Technology, as the region becomes ever more established as a digital hub.
“The North East’s strength on Exports, relative to the rest of the country, is well known and as such we’re an important part of the UK’s economic engine. The employment statistics highlight the healthy increase in employment we have seen over the past 12 months, and underline the key areas of economic strength that we can continue to develop.”