The unemployment rate rose across all three Hull constituencies in the 2024 with the city far above the national average, official figures show.
Unemployment figures in the UK are measured at the end of each year, with the results being released in the first quarter of the following year. The figures from December 2024 have now been released, showing that the unemployment rate has risen in all three constituencies in Hull.
The unemployment rate is defined by the House of Commons Library as the “proportion of the economically active population aged 16 and over who are unemployed.” The newly released figures show that across the UK the unemployment rate is 4.4%
The UK is also the only major economy that has seen its employment rate fall over the last five years, largely driven by a significant rise in the number of people out of work due to long-term ill health. Recent research published by the House of Commons Library shows that as of December, 1.7 million people were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit (UC) with a requirement to seek work. That includes 298,000 teenagers or young adults aged between 18 and 24.
Of the three Hull constituencies, it is Hull East that is beset by the highest unemployment rate at 6.0%, therefore ranking it as the 92nd highest unemployment rate out the of the 650 constituencies in the UK. This is up by 0.4% from last year’s figure.
The rate also increased in the other two Hull constituencies. Hull North and Cottingham’s unemployment rate is now at 5.7%, whilst Hull West and Haltemprice is up to 4.9%.
Despite being higher than the national average, there are cities across the UK with far more troubling data than Hull. Birmingham has been hit particularly hard by unemployment, with eight of the top ten areas with the highest rates being in the city. Birmingham Perry Barr has the highest rate of unemployment in the UK at 16.1%, that’s the equivalent of one in every six people being unemployed.
Reacting to the figures a spokesperson from the Government’s Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson has said: “We are determined to break down barriers to opportunity and boost employment in Hull and across all areas of the UK.
“That is why our Get Britain Working reforms will transform Jobcentres and guarantee every young person the chance to earn or learn – as we deliver prosperity and growth in every corner of the country.”
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
