'We won't bail out shipyard'
Oct 14 2004 By Guy Anderson And Zoe Hughes, The Journal
Jobless figures in North-East increase
Unemployment in the North-East is going against the positive national trend - increasing by 9,000 in the past four months alone.
Figures out yesterday showed the unemployment level increasing in the region from 63,000 during May and June to 72,000 in the period June to August.
The news was greeted with shock by business and union leaders, who warned it was a "worrying development" for the region as a whole.
George Cowcher, chief executive of the North-East Chamber of Commerce, said that at a time of national record employment the "substantial" rise in the unemployment count was extremely concerning.
"We must identify why this region is bucking the UK trend," he said. "We must concentrate on continuing to create a prosperous economy that gives the maximum opportunity to unemployed people. But we must make certain that we create quality employment which has a positive impact on regional wealth rather than work for work's sake."
The figures from the Office of National Statistics revealed the number of jobs in the North-East increased in the period June to August, with an extra 13,000 people in employment compared to the previous count. The level increased from 1.101 million to 1.114 million.
Unison regional secretary Gill Hale said of the jobless figure: "This is a worrying development.
"It does show how fragile our regional economy can be and emphasises why we badly need an elected regional assembly here in the North-East that would prioritise quality job creation."
Nationally the unemployment rate fell to a record low of 4.7pc, but it was dented by news that fewer people are looking for work than at any time in the past 20 years.
