Business leaders in Birmingham and Solihull are calling on the new government to act now to provide a business-friendly economic environment which will bring unemployment figures down quickly.

"One of the initiatives that should be acted on in the emergency budget next month is the scrapping of National Insurance contributions." said Will Rogers, policy adviser at Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCI).

This call follows today's unemployment figures, which showed 249,000 people out of work, a fall of 4,000 on the previous figures. 

Will Rogers added: "These figures are still too high but there are initiatives which will encourage employers to recruit. For instance, the Chamber has taken on four long-term unemployed people under the six-month Future Jobs Fund initiative, which needs to be sustained.   

"GDP figures revealed a setback in Quarter 1 of this year emphasising the continuing fragility of the economy. The new government needs to act now to create the conditions for firms to grow and create wealth, which in turn will lead to new jobs."