JOBSEEKERS are facing a North-South divide over levels of pay and the prospect of securing employment despite improvements in the job market, research has found.
Sunderland is among the worst cities in the country to find a job with 37 applications for every available role, while 10 people chase every position in Middlesbrough.
It comes as figures suggest the jobs market had improved despite the struggling economy and Britain losing its AAA credit rating.
The North East is among the worst paying regions in the country with average advertised salaries in February of £27,015-a-year, according to a report conducted by jobs search engine Adzuna.
In London – where the cost of living is considerably higher – workers get an average of £41,767, 21% above the national average.
Sunderland is among the bottom three locations for finding a job in IT, finance and healthcare, the research found.
Last night Sunderland MP Bridget Phillipson said: “The latest official figures show that the North East has the highest levels of unemployment in the country. I’m particularly concerned about the high numbers of people out of work long- term, especially young people.
“The research by Adzuna shows that local people are keen to find work, but that cities such as Sunderland are continuing to bear the brunt of this government’s failed economic policies.
“When the chancellor announces his budget in March he needs to set out a credible plan for supporting business, creating jobs and restoring growth to our economy.”
Adzuna co-founder Andrew Hunter said: “It’s been a fairly positive start to the year, with solid vacancy figures showing the labour market is relatively robust, despite the looming threat of a triple-dip recession.
“While encouraging, it’s far too early to pop the Champagne corks. Many parts of the UK such as East Midlands and Yorkshire remain in crisis with job stock numbers dwindling and average wages decreasing.
“Youth unemployment continues to be the greatest issue facing the British job market today. There are still 974,000 16 to 24-year-olds unemployed in Britain and 17 applicants for every entry level vacancy.
“Our data suggests steady improvement in the number of jobs in the UK, but continued stagnation of salaries.”
Adzuna said there were almost half a million vacancies in the UK, up by 4% over the past six months, although pay rates were declining.
The firm said there were more vacancies than unemployed in some parts of the UK, including Guildford, Cambridge and Aberdeen.
Last month it emerged that in Newcastle four people chased every vacancy in 2012. British statistician and economist Simon Briscoe said “Market analysts, policy-makers and commentators should be delighted to see this additional job market data becoming available. Confusion is rife about the state of the labour market – which seems to be so much stronger than GDP figures would suggest – so this extra insight is most welcome.”
Hull was said to be the hardest city to find work, with 51 applicants per vacancy. Wages have fallen over the past year, due to an increase in part-time work.
