According to the latest job figures the number of unfilled jobs is bigger than the number of people out of work, for the first time, and it is the South West which is showing the biggest increase in those in work.

Nationally, according to figures released by the ONS today (May 17), unemployment fell to 3.7% between January and March, its lowest for almost 50 years, as job vacancies climbed to a new high of 1.3 million.

But within the numbers there are big regional differences, with the South West posting the largest increase in the numbers working, with the smallest percentage increase showing in the South East.

The South West appears to be outperforming many regions, specifically

• The number of employees continued to increase in all regions of the UK, with the largest percentage increase in the South West and the smallest percentage increase in the South East.
• For the three months ending March 2022, the highest employment rate estimate in the UK was in the South West (79.1%) and the lowest was in the North East (70.9%).
• For the three months ending March 2022, the highest unemployment rate estimate in the UK was in the North East (5.0%) and the lowest was in Northern Ireland (2.3%).
• For the three months ending March 2022, the highest economic inactivity rate estimate in the UK was in Northern Ireland (26.0%) and the lowest was in the South West (18.5%)

People changing jobs is also at an all-time high with a record high "driven by resignations rather than dismissals", said the ONS.

But within the high employment rates, and more directly within the county of Somerset, charities are warning that the levels of those on benefits remains high.

According to one figure, there are just under 36,000 people on Universal Credit in the four districts in the Somerset County Council area.