UNEMPLOYMENT in the North-East remained unchanged last month, but the jobless total across the country continues to rise.

Latest figures show the number of people claiming unemployment related benefit in the region is 84,000, a jobless rate of 7.1 per cent and no change on the previous month.

But the national picture remains bleak, with a rise of 4,800 in the month to a total of 959,000, a rate of 3.2 per cent.

This means that claimant count unemployment has now increased for two successive months for the first time since 1992, following years of steady falls in the number of people on the dole.

The figures, released by the Office of National Statistics, showed more bad news for the manufacturing sector with another huge fall in jobs, down by 141,000 in the month to October to a record low of 3,792,000.

Virtually all manufacturing industries lost jobs in the past few months, including electrical and optical equipment (34,000), textiles and clothing (31,000) and mineral and metal products (25,000).

TUC general secretary John Monks voiced concern about what he called the continued flood of job cuts in manufacturing.

He said: "We need action on two fronts. Firstly, the Bank of England should cut interest rates again in January and secondly, we believe the Chancellor should deliver a budget for industry.

"We give manufacturing less support per worker than almost any other European economy."