Pictured above: Mike Ashton
Business leaders in the West Midlands welcomes the fall in
unemployment figures announced yesterday, which has fallen, but say
that there are still vacancies that can't be filled because of lack
of skills.
Commenting on the latest figures issued by the Office of
National Statistics, Christine Braddock, President of Birmingham
Chamber of Commerce said that while unemployment is down by 4,000
to 255,000, 9.5 per cent of the regional workforce is still out of
jobs, which is the second worst in the country behind the North
East.
She said: "The latest figures show that total vacancies have
increased by 580, but many Chamber members just cannot find
personnel with the skills required. While the latest quarterly
economic survey by the Chamber pictures a downward trajectory for
manufacturing, Chamber member TRW Conekt in Solihull quotes a
lack of engineers to fill its rising vacancies."
Mike Ashton, spokesman for West Midlands Chambers of Commerce,
said: "In the service sector the majority of employers have seen
employment increase in Q4 and plan to increase employment
opportunities this year."
"Businesses are also bracing themselves for a large raft of
employment legislation over the course of this Parliament."