Unemployment rises for first time Nationally since mid-2015

UK unemployment rose by 21,000 to 1.7m between December and February, according to the Office for National Statistics.  It is the first increase in unemployment since the May-July period of last year.  The unemployment rate remained at 5.1%, which is still down on the same time last year, when it was 5.6%.  Earnings including bonuses rose by 1.8% in the three months to February, a slowdown from the 2.1% rate for the previous three-month period.

Stockport bucks the Trend

• Unemployment fell in Stockport at a rate much greater than across the rest of Greater Manchester, the North West and the UK.
• Unemployment in Stockport among young people fell by 4.5% whilst it remained unchanged across Greater Manchester and fell by less than 1% across the North West.