Cumbria is bucking the national trend with more people in employment than the UK average, latest figures reveal.
Just under 225,000 Cumbrian residents were in payrolled employment in April – an increase of 1,920 from the previous year – representing employment growth of 0.9% compared to 0.4% nationally.
Median monthly earnings for workers in Cumbria are currently £2,270, which is 95% of the UK average. Despite being below the national average, earnings growth in Cumbria has increased for the last three years.
There are also fewer people claiming Jobseekers Allowance and Universal Credit in the county, compared to an increase nationally, with 295 fewer claimants than a year ago.
The claimant rate of those seeking work was 2.3% in April and is below the national rate in all former district areas. However, rates for 18 to 24-year-olds remain above the national average in Barrow.
There were 8,477 online job postings in April in the county, with 684 fewer vacancies than in March across all former district areas, in line with regional and national figures.
The lower number of newly posted vacancies suggests that recruitment demand is stabilising despite the hospitality season being underway.
There were 521 small business start-ups in Cumbria in the quarter ending March this year, which is 17 fewer than the previous quarter and 85 fewer than the same period last year.
There were 31,209 companies in Cumbria in April 2024, 77 more than in March and 189 businesses were newly recorded as dissolved or in liquidation during April.
Of the active businesses in April, 1,948 posted financial results showing growth of 10% or more in employment and/or turnover, and 1,439 businesses recorded a decline.
Suzanne Caldwell, managing director of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce said: “It’s positive news that here in Cumbria we have more people employed than this time last year, and more than double the percentage growth nationally.
“I think this is down to a combination of a continuing tight labour market, the great opportunities we have in the county and the work being undertaken by a range of partners to get more people working.
“Recruitment and retention remains a real issue across the county across many sectors. Given the scale of the issue and the growing opportunities this can’t be addressed just by getting more people already in Cumbria into those roles – we need to attract more people to move into Cumbria and live and work.
“Again this is something that a range of stakeholders are working on, with some recent, though not sufficient, success. And as we all know, Cumbria is a great place to be!”
Jo Lappin, chief executive of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Cumbria’s labour market remains very strong with 0.9% more people in work in Cumbria than there was a year ago, compared to 0.4% nationally. Cumbria’s claimant count remains low at 2.3%, whereas nationally it has increased to 3.8%.
“Whilst this is good news for employees it has resulted in challenges for businesses as they look to compete for talent in a very tight labour market.
“That’s why the LEP has been leading work to encourage young people to build their careers in Cumbria, help people to get back into work and encourage more people to come and live and work here.
“These actions will help relieve labour market pressures and provide our businesses with the skills and talent that they need.”
