Paul Carbert, policy adviser, North East England Chamber of Commerce said: “The employment statistics released this morning show welcome progress on reducing unemployment over the past year. There has not been a significant change in the employment or unemployment rate in the North East over the past quarter, in line with the other regions of the UK.
“Our most recent Quarterly Economic Survey shows the pace of workforce growth slowing. This is unsurprising after a long period of strong increases but underlines that continued good news on jobs can’t be taken for granted.
“We know that there is more work to do to build a Working North East and reduce our stubbornly high unemployment rate, which remains the highest in the UK. This year, the Chamber will work with members to ensure that our region benefits from increased funding for apprenticeships, and campaign for new funding models to open up opportunities for the unemployed.”
Peter Gibson, managing director of Chamber member Coles The Solicitors said: “As a firm we continue to grow despite challenging and extremely competitive market conditions. In particular we have seen a strong performance in our property work in the months after the immediate month following the referendum. Our recent addition of Emma Ladd to head our Commercial Team is a strategic hire to fulfil a gap in our service provision. We remain positive about the economic future of the region particularly in those areas where we have a physical presence.”