North East/South East Divide In Labour Market

The employment rate in Great Britain was highest in the South East at 76.4% and lowest in the North East at 69.5%. The unemployment rate was highest in the North East at 9.8% and lowest in the South East at 4.8%. The North East showed the greatest increase in the employment rate at 1.3% then East Midlands at 1.2%. All regions, with the exception of Wales, showed a general increase in employment rates. The only region to show an increase in the unemployment rate was the North East which increased by 0.3% to 9.8%, Yorkshire and Humberside are next with 8.2%.

The inactivity rate was highest in Wales at 24.8% and lowest in the South East and the East of England at 19.7%. The claimant count was highest in the North East at 5.4% and lowest in the South East at 1.8%.

Total Income From Farming Up Across The Country

The second estimate of agriculture in the English regions from Defra suggests that total income from all farming increased significantly in all NUTS1 regions in 2011. The North East had the largest increase with 38% and the East Midlands had the next largest increase with 33% on 2010. The smallest increases were in the North West and the West Midlands with a 20% increase in each.

Total income from farming has increased in all NUTS1 regions, in the medium term, between 2005 and 2011. The South East has seen increases of 364 to 464 and the North East 191 to 291. The smallest increases were in the East of England (224%) and the West Midlands (225%).

The relative importance of agriculture to each region can be seen in its share of regional gross value added (GVA) and the regional workforce. The greatest contribution to GVA in 2011 was made in the South West with 1.3% and the least in the South East with 0.19%. In England as a whole agriculture contributed 0.64% to GVA.

Agriculture made its greatest contribution to the regional workforce in the South West with 2.22% and the least in the South East with 0.5%. The industry contributed 1.1% to the workforce in England as a whole.

House Prices Up 10.1% On Last Year

The House Price Index (HPI) from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) for April 2010 went up by 10.1% between April 2009 and April 2010 and 0.4% on March. The average house price was £207,516 in April 2010 and the all dwellings index was 174.4.

Annual average house prices in England went up 10.9%, in Scotland 2.2% and in Wales 11.3% but N.Ireland house prices fell by 8.9%. First time buyers paid 12.2% more than a year ago. Average prices for former owner/occupiers were 9.3% higher. New properties were 7.6% more than last year and pre-owned houses were up 10.3%.

House prices rose in all regions of the UK except Yorkshire and Humber where prices fell 0.5%. East Midlands saw the biggest increase with a rise in prices of 2.7%. Over the year to April all regions have seen an increase in house prices. The largest increases were in London where there were price rises of 16.8%.

The average price for a house in England in April was £214,863, in Scotland £162,392, in Wales £151,079 and in N.Ireland £163,201. The English region with the highest average house price was London. The North East was the lowest with £139,595. The regions with an average house price above the national average were the East of England, London, the South East and the South West.

Decrease In Regional Trade Q3 2009

The value of UK exports for the year to September 2009 was down £22,183 or 9% to £223,800m compared to the year to September last year. The value of exports from England, Wales and N.Ireland fell by 8.4%, 8.3% and 8.4% respectively. Only Scotland saw an increase, of 3.4%, in Q3 2009. Within England the South East had the largest total value of exports with £37,849m and the smallest total was in the North East with exports of £9,423m. The number of UK exporters fell by 5.5% to 48,454. The largest decrease was in London with 7.5% to 8,154. No regions reported an increase in the number of exporters.

Imports also decreased for the year to September by £33,450m to £306,791m, or 9.8%. Imports fell in England, Wales and N.Ireland by 10.3%, 7.2% and 1.9% respectively and again only Scotland saw an increase, of 5.1%, in Q3 2009. The South East had the largest value of imports with £66,320m and the smallest total was in the North East with imports of £7,073m. The North East also saw the biggest percentage change with 24.9%. The East Midlands saw the smallest change with £15,489m. The number of importers decreased by 8.6% to 70,630 for Q3 2009. The largest percentage decrease was in London with 10.9% to 13,458. No regions reported an increase in the number of importers (HMRC - Regional Trade Statistics).