Rise in unemployment in Peterborough triggers new concern over job vacancies

The number of jobless people in Peterborough and the East of England has risen by 4.5 percent over the last three months, according to new figures.

Across the region there are currently 158,000 people who are unemployed – that is up 12,000 over the last three months and an increase of 33,000 people on the year.

It means the unemployment rate is 4.5 per cent, which is up 0.3 percentage points on the quarter and up 0.7 percentage points on the year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The figures are from the Department of Work and Pensions and show that there are 305,000 people in the East of England who are in non-working households.

New figures show a rise in unemployment in Peterborough. Inset, Julia Nix, Service Leader from East Anglia Jobcentre Plus, and Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes.placeholder image
New figures show a rise in unemployment in Peterborough. Inset, Julia Nix, Service Leader from East Anglia Jobcentre Plus, and Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes.

Julia Nix, Service Leader from East Anglia Jobcentre Plus said: "We know the unemployment rate in Peterborough is 4.5 percent..

"Yet we still find that there are hundreds of vacancies at companies across Peterborough.

"At the moment, our own website has 464 jobs vacancies in Peterborough.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"It does mean that if anyone wants a job, and is not too fussy about the type of work, then it is perfectly possible to get a job.

"Our role is really to try and match people to the jobs available.”

The new figures are likely to fuel concerns that have been growing for some time that the Peterborough economy is facing a battle to get people into the jobs that are becoming available.

Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes said: “There is no doubt that Peterborough faces a mixed employment market and is still reliant on too many low paid jobs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"One of the key challenges remains the mismatch between skills and job vacancies.

"That’s why one of my main focuses is increasing the number of apprenticeships in the city and supporting employers to create more opportunities for young people.

"I am really pleased the Government has backed Peterborough as one of the pilot areas for the Youth Guarantee to support young people into earning, learning and training.”

And just four months ago, Charlotte Horobin, chief executive of Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce, warned business leaders that not only were companies struggling to recruit the people with the right skills but that the number of vacancies was also falling.

She told a meeting of Opportunity Peterborough: “We’ve had the flattest jobs market for 12 years and the number of job vacancies in Peterborough has fallen by 16 percent in six months.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1948
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice