North East Unemployment Rates Worst in UK

13 April 2011, 12:41 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

131,000 people in the North East are now unemployed with a rise of 11,000 in the three months to February.

The region's unemployment rate was 10.4% and saw a rise of 9.1%, during the period. The region was the worst in the UK.

Across the country unemployment fell by 17,000 in the three months to February to 2.48 million, official figures showed.

Ministers said there were a number of positive statistics in the figures, including the rise of 143,000 people in employment driven entirely by growth in the private sector, a rise of 140,000 in the number of people in full-time work, a fall of 15,000 in the number of unemployed young people not in full-time education - from 681,000 to 666,000 - over the quarter, and a rise of 27,000 in the number of students in full-time education looking for work.

There had also been a fall of 11,000 in the number of unemployed young people compared with last month's published figure, from 974,000 to 963,000.