According to official figures, Birmingham has the worst unemployment figures in the country. A breakdown of each Parliamentary constituency revealed that four out of the five worst areas for unemployment were all in Birmingham. The only other place in the bottom five was Middlesbrough, where 3240 people are currently claiming jobseekers allowance.
Ladywood tops the list of unemployment figures, with more people claiming Jobseekers Allowances there than anywhere else. There are currently 5757 people in Ladywood claiming the jobseekers benefits, these people making up 5.9% of those 16-64.
The MP for Erdington, Birmingham, Jack Dromey, said, ““These shocking statistics bring home the enduring problems of high unemployment in Birmingham.
“Birmingham may be booming but there are still tens of thousands of Brummies left behind who want a decent job or training.”
The North East of the UK has the worst rates of regional unemployment, far outstripping the West Midlands. The figures show that there are 161,000 unemployed in the West Midlands – an increase of 3000 since last year- with Birmingham having strikingly high rates.
However the number of those in work has also increased since last year by 76,000, with 2.7million now in work.
However, given that the overall population in the West Midlands has increased, it is only statistically normal for both unemployment and employment to rise in number as well.
