Employment continues to rise
The number of people in work in the East Midlands increased in the quarter which ended a week after the EU Referendum.
Total employment across the region rose 24,528 from 2,270,286 in the three months to April 2016, to 2,294,544 in the quarter to the end of June 2016, according to figures recently released.
The figure from the Office of National Statistics was 34,652 higher than the same period last year and 74,601 up on two years ago.
The number of people out of work and claiming Jobseekers allowance across the region also fell in the month following the referendum. Derbyshire recorded a drop of 25 from 2,530 in June to 2,505 in July. In Chesterfield there were 1,145 out of work claimants in July, only a slight increase of 5 claimants on last months figure, now matching the national average of 1.8%.
Scott Knowles, Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber, said: “These figures remain very positive and show that, despite the uncertainty leading up to the referendum, businesses continued to recruit in the months before the vote and immediately afterwards during July.
“Much of this recruitment will have been planned before the referendum and there have been reports claiming recruitment has fallen since the vote so next month’s figures will probably be the first real indication of how businesses reacted to the vote to leave the EU.”
