Job loss cities revealed in study

Unemployment in graphics

Big cities outside London saw the most job losses in the past year as the UK entered recession, a new study shows.

Birmingham suffered the largest rise in the number of people on unemployment benefit - 12,383 - in the 12 months to February, the Work Foundation found.

Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Hull, Manchester, Bradford, Liverpool, Bristol and the area of Kirklees also saw big increases in joblessness.

The study was based on official figures covering the year to February.

The Work Foundation said unemployment had risen most sharply in the north of England, the West Midlands, Scotland and areas dominated by traditional manufacturing and heavy industry.

Birmingham topped the list of job losses, with the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance rising from 33,274 in February 2008 to 45,657 in February 2009. This took the claimant rate from 5.3% to 7.3%.

However, the biggest changes in percentage terms came in council areas that have never experienced the benefits of the UK's economic boom, the Work Foundation said.

JOB LOSSES: FEB 2008-FEB 2009

• Birmingham: Number of claimants rose from 33,274 to 45,657, from 5.3% to 7.3%
• Leeds: Number of claimants rose from 12,628 to 21,558, from 2.5% to 4.3%
• Glasgow: Number of claimants rose from 14,403 to 20,276, from 3.7% to 5.2%
• Sheffield: Number of claimants rose from 8,463 to 14,017, from 2.5% to 4.1%
• Hull: Number of claimants rose from 8,062 to 13,366, from 4.8% to 8%
• Manchester: Number of claimants rose from 10,836 to 16,069, from 3.4% to 5.1%
• Bradford: Number of claimants rose from 9,242 to 14,321, from 3% to 4.7%
• Kirklees: Number of claimants rose from 5,980 to 10,960, from 2.4% to 4.4%
• Liverpool: Number of claimants rose from 15,208 to 20,055, from 5.3% to 7%
• Bristol: Number of claimants rose from 5,057 to 9,771, from 1.8% to 3.5%

The Wear Valley experienced a rise in the number of claimants from 1,117 to 2,342 - an increase of 109% - which saw the claimant count rise from 2.9% to 6.2% of the workforce.

"Policymakers ignore how recessions play out locally at their peril," said Naomi Clayton, senior researcher at the Work Foundation.

"It is to be hoped that the forthcoming Budget focuses more attention on the large cities - Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham - that can drive the recovery, as well as recognising which areas need the most support to survive and prepare for better times."

Last month, UK unemployment as a whole rose above two million for the first time since 1997.

During the three months to January, the number of people unemployed totalled 2.03 million, up by 165,000, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

For February, the number of people getting jobseeker's allowance added a record 138,400 to reach 1.39 million.

The ONS added that the unemployment rate jumped to 6.5% between November and January.

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