Brighton and Hove has the highest rate of unemployment in the South-East, a survey has shown.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show the city has an unemployment rate of 6.4 per cent while the average in the region is close to half that at 3.7 per cent.

The lowest county rate was recorded in Oxfordshire with 2.1 per cent. Tower Hamlets, in East London, had the highest rate in the country of 11.3 per cent, followed by Hackney with 10.5 per cent.

In contrast, the lowest unemployment was found in Eden, Cumbria, at two per cent, followed by Craven in North Yorkshire and Purbeck in Dorset.

The report was called Local Area Labour Markets: Statistical Indicators July 2006.

The survey drew on several sources including the Annual Population Survey and benefits data issued by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Monday, July 31, 2006