The Black Country Chamber of Commerce says new labour market figures show the jobs market remains fragile across the region.
Official figures published by the Office for National Statistics today show a total of 46,985 claimants across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton last month.
That is a drop from a regional total of 47,570 in the previous month. In Wolverhampton, the claimant count stood at 6.8 per cent, whilst it was 6.7 per cent in Sandwell, 5.9 per cent in Walsall and 4.7 per cent in Dudley.
Nationally, the unemployment rate rose to five per cent in the three months to March from 4.9 per cent in the three months to February. The number of job vacancies also fell to its lowest level in five years.
Sarah Moorhouse, chief executive of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, said:
“These figures show the scale of the challenges facing our members in the current climate.
“The labour market remains extremely fragile with rising costs, political uncertainty and escalating global tension all adding extra pressure to businesses across the region.
“The claimant count remains high despite a welcome fall last month and our members continue to report ongoing difficulties in recruitment.
“We have world‑class firms here in the Black Country but they are struggling to fulfil their potential against the current economic backdrop. There is no doubt that this region has the ambition and the capability to drive growth, but we need support to make it happen.”
Nationally, the number of people on payrolls in April also fell by 100,000 compared to figures for March.
