UNEMPLOYMENT – The full effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has yet to be seen. The overall unemployment rate stayed at 3.9% in the three months to April. The big problem ahead is when employers must pay National Insurance and pension contributions, then 10% of pay from September, rising to 20% in October. Companies under financial pressure may start to make workers redundant.
Also, the current layoffs have yet to show in the figures.
For the three months ending April 2020, the highest employment rate estimate in the UK was in the South East (79.5%) and the lowest was in Northern Ireland (71.6%).
For the three months ending April 2020, the highest unemployment rate estimate in the UK was in the North East (5.2%) and the lowest was in Northern Ireland (2.3%); a joint record low unemployment rate.
For the three months ending April 2020, the highest economic inactivity rate estimate in the UK was in Northern Ireland (26.7%) and the lowest was in the South East (17.9%).
Between December 2019 and March 2020, the largest estimated increase in workforce jobs in the UK was in the East of England at 35,000, while the largest decrease was in the South East at 61,000.
In March 2020, the region with the highest estimated proportion of workforce jobs in the services sector was London at 91.8%, while the East Midlands had the highest proportion of jobs in the production sector at 13.2%.
The highest average estimated actual weekly hours worked, for the 12 months ending December 2019, was in London at 33.8 hours and the lowest was in the North East at 30.9 hours; for full-time and part-time workers, it was highest for both in Northern Ireland, at 38.4 hours and 17.0 hours respectively.
In Northern Ireland specifically
The March 2020 Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) was published online at 7:00am this morning. The key points are:
ABC NOTE: According to Citizens Advice:
ABC Comment, have your say below: