Portsmouth unemployment falls as job vacancies hit a record high

The latest figures show that unemployment has dropped across the city as the recovery from the pandemic continues.

In Portsmouth North, the number of people out of work dropped by 20 per cent according to the job-centre.

Unemployment figures also fell in Portsmouth South, declining by 7 per cent.

This is in line with a UK recovery which has seen the number of workers on payroll recover to pre pandemic levels.

The Office for National Statistics latest figures show that the rate of unemployment has fallen by 4.6 per cent.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak was delighted by the results and said the government will continue to focus on creating more opportunities in the job market.

He added: 'Today’s statistics show that our plan for jobs is working.

'The unemployment rate has fallen for seven months in a row, the number of employees on payrolls is back above pre-pandemic levels and there were fewer potential redundancies notified in August than at any point since the start of last year.

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'As we continue to recover from the pandemic, our focus remains on creating opportunities and supporting people’s jobs.'

The ONS also revealed that job vacancies have reached the highest level since records began, rising by 249,000 to over one million for the first time.

Retail, leisure and hospitality roles were all badly hit by the pandemic, and the significant growth in these industries has helped push vacancies to record levels.

Jonathan Athow, Deputy National Statistician for Economic Statistics at the ONS, said although the overall employment rate is recovering, certain areas and sectors are still struggling.

He said: 'Early estimates from payroll data suggest that in August the total number of employees is around the same level as before the pandemic, though our surveys show well over a million are still on furlough.

'However, this recovery isn’t even: in hard-hit areas such as London, and sectors such as hospitality and arts and leisure, the numbers of workers remain well down on pre-pandemic levels.

'The overall employment rate continues to recover, particularly among groups such as young workers who were hard hit at the outset of the pandemic, while unemployment has fallen.'

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