The number of employed people in work has risen to 81.9%* for Central Bedfordshire, making it the highest employment figure for 12 years, according to the latest data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

ONS figures confirm that Central Bedfordshire’s employment rate is now 7.3% above the national rate, and shows a continued growth compared to figures from last year.

Councillor Nigel Young, Executive Member for Regeneration and Business at Central Bedfordshire Council welcomed the employment figures, saying:
"I am delighted with the progress we have made with employment rates across Central Bedfordshire. Increases in the number of employers located here mean lots of new jobs have been created in the area. Our target was to increase our levels of employment by 5%, but we have managed to increase this by an extra 2.3%. Importantly, our levels of employment also remain higher than both the national and regional averages. These figures are a real testament to our proactive approach to enabling business growth and facilitating new employment opportunities for our residents.”

• *The employment rate (currently 81.9%) is the proportion of working aged people who have jobs. 5,500 people are unemployed (just 3.6%) in Central Bedfordshire.
• There are 150,000 currently economically active people in Central Bedfordshire who are either employed or who are unemployed. Of these 144,600 aged 16-64 years are employed (an increase of 700). The age bands that saw the biggest increases in employment were the 35-49 years, and the 50-64 years, with small decreases seen in other age bands.