After Burnley was revealed to have the highest rate of inflation in the country, new data shows the town is also one of the worst affected areas for unemployment.

The Covid-19 pandemic sent the labour market into a frenzy and the number of unemployment claimants across the country soared.

Centre for Cities tracked the level of unemployment in the UK and Burnley was confirmed as the ninth worst area for benefit claimants after the pandemic hit.

To make matters worse, at the same time Burnley’s inflation rate increased from 11.4 per cent in May last year to 12.4 per cent currently (the highest in the country), wages in the area also fell the second most in the country.

Antony Higginbotham MP for Burnley and Padiham said: “We know that Burnley has historically had higher levels of unemployment and is why I’ve been determined to see us reverse this long-term trend. Because gaining employment and acquiring skills has a transformative effect on people's lives and future opportunities.

"Of course, the pandemic had a negative impact on jobs and is why so much support was put in place, both for people and for businesses. But throughout 2022 we saw a dramatic fall in local unemployment, and a significant rise in job vacancies.

"We have openings for so many local businesses but from speaking with them I know that they are struggling to fill certain positions. That’s why I’ve been working to give the Job Centre the resources they need to point people in the right direction and ultimately help individuals gain the necessary skills and confidence to secure the employment available.

"My aim is to get as many people back into the job market as possible. Whether that’s through improving the Job Centre, expanding training opportunities or backing our businesses with the huge levels of infrastructure investment that is taking place within Burnley and Padiham. I’ll continue to work to create the high skill, high wage economy our area deserves.”

Andrew Carter, Centre for Cities chief executive, stated that the high levels of unemployment in the North compared to the South is due to a jobs shortage. 

A spokesperson for Burnley Council responded to the data, disagreeing that the issue of issue of unemployment is caused by a lack of jobs available.

They said: "Burnley Council has a long-term strategy to grow the local economy, develop skills and address economic inactivity rates.

"The data presented by Centre for Cities represents both Burnley and Pendle. We would disagree with Centre for Cities that there are not enough jobs in our borough.

“As a result of significant job growth over the last decade Burnley has a much higher job density, the ratio of jobs to working age population, and is broadly in line with the national average.

"Working with Burnley College and UCLan, there is a clear drive to address low skill levels and this is paying dividends with 33.5 per cent of the population having an NVQ4 or equivalent which is close to the national figure.

"We are also pleased that the proportion of people unable to work due to long term sickness has fallen significantly since the Covid pandemic.

"The council is working with partners to put in place support for people who have disengaged with the workforce to alleviate some of the recruitment difficulties faced by local businesses. 

“However, the resources available for this type of work have been significantly reduced and we would agree with C4C's proposals for further investment in public services and skills."