Staffordshire ends year with continued near full employment
Posted on Tuesday 17th December 2019
i54 South Staffordshire
More business development will soon begin on one of Staffordshire’s flagship business sites as the county ends the year on near full employment.
Work will soon be under way on the final vacant plot at Cannock’s Kingswood Lakeside Business Park – a site developed by the county council. Commercial property developer Barberry Group will begin the construction of an £8million facility on the three-and-a-half-acre plot in the new year. It is set to be completed next summer.
With county development sites like Kingswood Lakeside, i54 South Staffordshire and Redhill in Stafford fully occupied or near fully-occupied, they will support the creation of more jobs in 2020.
Final statistics for the year released today show that just two per cent of the county population claimed out-of-work benefits last month. This is lower than both regional (3.8 per cent) and national (2.9 per cent) figures.
Staffordshire County Council’s economic growth leader Mark Winnington said:
We have seen a successful 2019 in terms of business development, job creation and improving people’s skills. “It is encouraging we are seeing our main business parks thriving with future demand high. We look forward to work getting under way at the final plot on Kingswood Lakeside in January with work on the i54 South Staffordshire extension continuing. “This is further demonstration that our economic growth programme continues at pace while our focus remains on ensuring people can access better paid and better skilled jobs in Staffordshire.”