There are now 45,000 more people in work than there were a year ago in the East Midlands and more than 37,000 fewer people are unemployed, according to figures released this morning.

The Office for National Statistics issued its latest monthly regional employment bulletin earlier, which showed there were 2.225m people aged 16-64 in employment in the three months to March 2015, compared to 2.18m in the same period in 2014.

The number of unemployed people was 114,447, compared to 151,574 in 2014, meaning the regional unemployment rate currently stands at 5.1%, compared to the national rate of 5.5%.

The number of people in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) fell by 999 in April, meaning there were 16,595 fewer claimants across the area than there were a year ago.

The number of people in Chesterfield claiming the benefit stood at 1312, which is 616 lower than the figure announced in April 2014.

East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) has welcomed the figures.

George Cowcher, Chief Executive, said: “Today’s employment and claimant figures once again highlight how strong the East Midlands economy is at the moment, with businesses continuing to create jobs and drive the growth that is needed to fully rebalance the national economy.

“It’s also pleasing that earnings continue to increase and boost living standards – a focus on improving productivity from businesses will ensure this is sustainable.

“Businesses need a continued period of stability in order to deliver the growth and prosperity the country needs and the new Government has the opportunity to use its strengthened mandate to bring forward initiatives which will maintain and build upon the momentum the economy has built-up over the past two years.”

The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP has been appointed as Secretary of State for Business in Prime Minister David Cameron’s new Cabinet.

Mr Javid, the Member for Bromsgrove, was Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in the previous Cabinet. He takes over the business brief from former Lib Dem MP Dr Vince Cable, who lost his seat at last Thursday’s election.

Chris Hobson, Head of Information and Representation at East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), said: “We look forward to working with Sajid as he looks to move the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) forward to maintain and build on the momentum in the economy, which has been largely driven by business.

“In order to do this, he needs to ensure the team at BIS is talking to businesses here in the East Midlands, which as a region, has been a national leader in terms of creating jobs and driving economic growth in the UK over the past five years.

“The region has a broad-based and balanced economy, with real strengths in manufacturing and engineering and these are key sectors which need to be supported in order to secure the long-term success of the UK’s economy.”

Businesses will welcome the stability and certainty that a majority Government can provide, according to the East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire).

The Chamber met with a number of its member businesses at a round table event earlier today to watch the final seats come in and get some initial business reaction to the results of yesterday’s ballot.

There was general agreement that a majority Government will be better for business than another coalition because of the additional certainty and stability it can provide.

There was also a common view that MPs from all parties should present a united view of the East Midlands to ensure the region does not miss out on vital resources and funding needed to support infrastructure investment and drive job creation and economic growth.

Chamber President Liz Fothergill CBE will write to the new cohort of MPs across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire to congratulate them on their election and share the Chamber’s business manifesto*, which outlines the top priorities for Chamber members. These include measures to:

• Place business at the centre of local growth
• Deliver on the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs
• Fix the link between education and the world of work
• Reduce the cost of doing business
• Support firms to succeed overseas

Chamber Chief Executive George Cowcher said: “The General Election ended with a clear result, perhaps unexpected, which will help to provide the stability and clarity that businesses need to move forward.

“The Conservative Government must now build on the economic progress that businesses here in the East Midlands have driven over the past five years. It needs to set the conditions to encourage a culture of entrepreneurism, where businesses can look to the rest of the world as a potential marketplace and where our young people leave school with the skills and qualities they need to set out on dynamic, rewarding careers.

“The Chamber is apolitical and has a proud track record of working constructively with its MPs locally and in Westminster to promote the needs of business and support growth for the East Midlands’ economy.

“Over the past five years, businesses in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire have demonstrated a robustness and tenacity that has marked the region out as a leader for UK growth. Over the course of the next Parliament, a number of key national and local issues will need to be addressed to ensure this growth can be balanced and secured for the long term.”

In a special celebration at Learning Unlimited, 64 apprentices from across the East Midlands, North and North West working with Chesterfield based company Heathcotes Care were recognised for their hard work and commitment to training and successfully completing their apprenticeships. The event marked the achievements of learners at all levels including the first higher level health and social care apprentices who are working in managerial positions within the organisation.

At the event, all the apprentices received certificates and special awards were given to the apprentice of the year, a leader in learning and the most improved learner. All 64 apprentices are now working with the company in a variety of roles at all levels in the organisation.

Heathcotes Care, who provide specialist residential care for adults with learning disabilities across the East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and the North West, highlighted how important apprenticeships are to give their workforce the skills they need to deliver a quality service. The organisation has been working in partnership with Learning Unlimited for the last two years to provide a work based learning formula that has helped them to reduce staff turnover and improve retention and progression rates.

Brendan Kelly, Operations Director from Heathcotes Care said: “For us, service user experience is the key to success. Apprenticeships help us to deliver that. When we have attracted the people with the right qualities to care, apprenticeships help us to give them the skills to do their job well.  When staff are happy and feel that they can do their job well they stay with us which means the adults we care for get quality and continuity and that makes a difference to their quality of life.

“The different levels of apprenticeships on offer mean that we can progress people from entry to managerial level and equip them with an in-depth knowledge of how we work. We can see how this benefits the people we care for, our staff and our organisation which is why we have just started 75 new apprentices with Learning Unlimited. ”

Steve Hepworth, Head of Learning Unlimited said: “Celebration events like this really make you realise how important getting the right skills can be for an organisation and for a learner. It is inspirational to see so many successful learners keen to celebrate their apprenticeships as well as recognising the journey they go on to progress their careers. The success rate for Heathcotes Care is way above national average and I think that is partly down to the culture within the organisation and partly due to the way our work based tutors ensure learners are supported to succeed. The partnership approach pays off and we are looking forward to supporting the new apprentices thorough to the next celebration event.”

Joseph Clayton and Sons Ltd of Chesterfield have taken over J & E Sedgwick & Company Limited