THE North-East’s unemployment woes have lessened as jobs return to the market, it has been claimed.

The JobCentre Plus has hailed firms’ willingness to recruit staff and the effect of greater work support programmes.

According to latest Office for National Statistics figures, 94,000 people were out of work in the North-East between February and April, meaning the region retained its place as the UK’s jobless hotspot.

However, the number was down from the 103,000 recorded between January and March, with the amount of people in work up to nearly 1.2 million.

The region’s claimant count, which measures the number of people receiving unemployment benefits, was still high, behind only Northern Ireland on the geographical breakdown.

Nevertheless, Jackie Godfrey, JobCentre Plus customer service operations manager, said the area was becoming increasingly confident.

She said developments, such as Darlington’s Feethams cinema, hotel and restaurant project and plans to build 350 homes and retail and leisure sites near Durham Tees Valley Airport, were proof the North-East’s jobs market has potential.

Ms Godfrey also revealed recruitment across the Armed Forces was increasingly helping start more careers.

She said: “There is a lot going on in the North-East and people just need to come and ask us.”

Ms Godfrey also pointed to the DurhamWorks scheme, a Government-backed programme that aims to get young people, who are not in work, training or education, into a job.

She added: “We are looking at what we can do for them and what support we can provide.

“It might be something like somebody needing a CV, but it could be that someone has more issues and we provide one-to-ones to help them.”