Richard Hogg, Managing Director of Jackson Hogg Recruitment, has welcomed positive employment figures from the Office of National Statistics.
Richard, who is also a member of the North East Shadow Monetary Policy Committee, also lauded the resilience of the manufacturing and technical sectors, citing the relatively small decrease in job vacancies given instability on the international market.
Richard Hogg said: “The number of vacancies is typically lower at this time of year, even when the figures adjusted for seasonal employment spikes like the one seen in the run up to Christmas, so 10,000 fewer vacancies nationally should not be a cause for concern at this stage.
“There are fewer manufacturing jobs available at the moment, but given the economic slowdown in China and Middle Eastern instability, the sector is holding its own, there at 96% as many jobs available as there were on average over the last year. Vacancies in professional, scientific and technical roles are equally strong, matching last month’s figures.
“The news that employment is at a record high and that unemployment in the North East has fallen by thousands is very positive.”