Ok, we are now in May, but the publication of the Birmingham ward unemployment data was delayed until this week by the Easter holidays. So here are the April figures.

Thankfully, March’s rise in Acocks Green’s unemployment claimant figures, proved to be just a blip and the long term fall resumed in April, with a reduction of 30 to 967. This represents a rate of 7.4% and is 255 lower than a year ago. Across Birmingham there was a fall of 1,107 to 40,532 or a rate of 8.4%. The seasonally adjusted level fell too, to 41,170 or a claimant rate of 8.3%. While a welcome fall, it remains significantly higher than the national rate of 3.7% and is higher than other major cities in the UK.

Nationally the overall unemployment level fell by 77,000, in the three months to February, to a five year low of 2.24 million. This is a rate of 6.9%, which compares to 11.8% in the eurozone. UK inflation fell too, to 1.6% and has now, albeit only just, been overtaken by the rise in average wages.