Jobs update - August 2021

I have responded to figures released by the Office of National Statistics yesterday, which show that Norwich North's rate of unemployment remains better than the national average. I call for action through the refreshed Norwich for Jobs campaign. 

The July 2021 figures for the unadjusted claimant count have been published yesterday, which show the number of people who were claiming unemployment related benefits. This includes those who were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance or were claiming Universal Credit and are required to seek work.  

This month, there were 2,730 actual claimants in Norwich North constituency in July 2021, which was 4.9% of the population aged 16-64. The equivalent UK claimant rate was 5.4%. 

This was 50 lower than June 2021 and 1,155 higher than March 2020, before the first UK lockdown began. Note most of this increase happened in March-May 2020 at the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

There were 505 claimants aged 18-24 in July 2021, 35 lower than June 2021 and 155 higher than March 2020. This was 7.4% of the population aged 18-24. The equivalent UK claimant rate was 7.2%. 

Opportunities are out there.  Nationally, the number of vacancies hit 953,000 in the three months to July, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.  And pay has gone up - the annual growth in average pay was 7.4%. 

Last month, the Norwich for Jobs project launched its new campaign Our city, our recovery, our futures and is calling on young people and businesses to come together to enable Norwich to flourish beyond the Covid pandemic.

The Coronavirus outbreak has been one of the biggest public challenges for a generation, and it’s caused a lot of change for people in Norwich. Workplaces and young people have both faced a lot of upheaval. We do not want the pandemic to extend into more damage to people’s jobs. So, Norwich for Jobs is acting once again. We know that this project can make a difference in our city because we have done it before.  

As we begin our recovery from the pandemic, it is clear to me that we need to come together and rebuild a city that we can all be proud of. It is about our city, our recovery, and our futures. The Government has already launched the Kickstart scheme to help 250,000 young people into work. I was pleased to see the that the Chancellor went further in the budget by doubling the incentive payment to small businesses to take on apprentices of any age to £3,000, alongside £126 million to triple the number of traineeships next year. They have also launched the Restart scheme to help hundreds of thousands of long-term unemployed; doubled the number of Work Coaches; and introduced the Lifetime Skills Guarantee to fund Level 3 Qualifications for all adults. 

The Norwich for Jobs partnership have thought about how partners can work together effectively to enabling young people and businesses in Norwich to flourish beyond the Covid pandemic and tomorrow we are launching a new campaign, Our city, our recovery, our futures and are calling on businesses and young people to come together to enable Norwich to flourish beyond the Covid pandemic.  

I urge businesses to get involved because together we can come back stronger, and together we can help young people to get the chances they desperately need. There are currently over 4,500 18 – 24-year olds in Norwich claiming universal credit due to being out of work or needing additional work. Around 2,000 of those young people are job-ready to get straight into work, whether in a new Kickstart role, apprenticeship, or other junior role. Locally, we can make a huge difference and help provide them with the opportunities, confidence and skills needed to find their future career.

People can learn more about the Our city, our recovery, our futures campaign by via our social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.