I have responded to figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) this week, which show that Norwich North's rate of unemployment remains better than the national average. Chloe calls for action through the refreshed Norwich for Jobs campaign.  

With job vacancies hitting a record high, there are opportunities available, according to official figures.  

The number of vacancies in the three months to August rose above one million for the first time since records began in 2001. 

The August 2021 figures for the unadjusted claimant count have been published this week, which show the number of people who were claiming unemployment related benefits.  

Last month, there were 2,645 actual claimants in Norwich North constituency in August 2021, which was 4.8% of the population aged 16-64. The equivalent national claimant rate was 5.2%. 

This was 45 lower than July 2021 and 1,070 higher than March 2020, before the first UK lockdown began. It is worth noting that much of this increase happened in March-May 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 

There were 485 claimants aged 18-24 in August 2021, 10 lower than July 2021 and 135 higher than March 2020. 

This was 7.1% of the population aged 18-24, compared to 6.8% nationally. 

The Norwich for Jobs project has 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 figures released today show that there are more opportunities out there than ever for young people. It is important that we work with employers and young people locally so that employers have the workforce that they need, and young people have an accessible range of opportunities. 

Throughout the pandemic the Government have invested over £400 billion to protect lives and livelihoods. 

And these figures show that the national plan is working – with unemployment down to 4.6 per cent, job vacancies rising to over one million for the first time since records began, and the number of employees on payroll back up to pre Covid levels.

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. Locally, we can make a dramatic 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.