Unemployment in this area rose slightly last month, after it had just hit a record low.

About three per cent of the Coventry and Warwickshire workforce is without a job – the average is made up of 2.2 per cent in the county and almost double that in the city (4.2 per cent).

That compares with a West Midlands figure of 4.1 per cent and a national level of 3.6 per cent.

Another 255 people joined the dole queue in August, increasing the figure by 2.1 per cent. The local rise has been put down to summer jobs coming to an end.

The only local district to see another fall was Rugby. Stratford saw the largest increase with another 59 people without work.

Warwick District saw 45 more people without work (3.1 per cent increase), and another 108 Coventry people (1.7 per cent) are now seeking employment.

And there has been a large decrease in the number of vacancies, with 703 fewer jobs on offer – that’s a fall of 20 per cent in the positions unfilled.

Decreases were recorded in each district with the largest drop in Rugby, down 39.4 per cent (200 vacancies). Other noticeable decreases were recorded in Nuneaton and Bedworth and Stratford.

Gareth Brown, chamber analyst, said:

“Vacancy levels in the sub-district still remain high for clerical, protective services and plant machine operatives in Coventry and Warwickshire, all recording over over 1,700 vacancies with the Employment Services over the past three months.

“It is also interesting to note that over half the notified vacancies in the sub-region over the past quarter have been within the distribution, hotels and restaurant sector, (29.9 per cent of the 10,049 vacancies) and banking, finance and insurance (23.7 per cent) which highlights the significant growth of the service sector in the sub-region.”