Credit Crunch

This page was last updated at 18:00 on 17th June.

UK unemployment rose to 2.261 million in the three months to April, the highest since November 1996, the Office for National Statistics said. The jobless rate rose to 7.2%, the highest since July 1997.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefit rose by 39,000 in May, less than the 60,000 which had been forecast by analysts. Young people have been hard-hit by the recession, with the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds now at 16.6%.

The claimant count rate rose to 4.8%, the highest since November 1997.

How is North Yorkshire's job market affected? According to these latest figures the number of people out of work and claiming benefit in North Yorkshire fell slightly. Nearly 9,800 people are unemployed compared to just over 9,900 the month before. In York the number of jobless has stayed about the same - just over 3 thousand 7 hundred.

Each week this page will be updated with job losses announced by the county's businesses, which we are aware of.

If you have information about a company which has shed jobs in North Yorkshire that we have not featured, you can use the form at the bottom of the page to tell us about it.

April 2009

2 April - 570 jobs are to go at the insurance company Aviva (formerly Norwich Union) in York. Nationally the company is shedding 1,100 posts.

March 2009

17 March - As many as sixteen jobs could go at the Scarborough based coach builder Plaxtons. The bus company's owner, Alexander Denis Ltd, says up to 150 jobs are at risk across it's business, which includes sites in Sheffield and Scotland.

17 March - Around 50 jobs could be created in York after department store Debenhams confirm plans to open a new store at the Monks Cross Shopping Centre in the next 18 months.

13 March - 65 people are facing redundancy at a North Yorkshire engineering firm. Wards and Kingspan, in Sherburn, is looking to make more job cuts. The company shed 40 positions last November.

07 March - Two more North Yorkshire shops are to close. The administrators of the clothing chain, Principles, are closing most of its stores. There are branches in York and Harrogate.

February 2009

26 February - An engineering firm, near Selby, has gone under with the loss of dozens of jobs. Bringate Engineering, based at the former coal mine site at Riccall, is said to be another victim of the slump in the construction industry. It had been shedding workers since last year lately around 20 people worked for them.

20 February - Up to 15 workers could be made redundant by Scarborough Borough Council. The authority hasn't confirmed the exact number of redundancies it is planning in the Technical Services department.

19 February - Up to 2000 construction jobs could be created in York. HSBC are planning to build a new data centre on land near the Huntington Stadium. The centre would on completion employ around 100 people.

19 February - Around 10 jobs will go in Harrogate with the closure of the OSC shoe shop in the town. The Harrogate store is one of 37 stores across the country that will close.

10 February - The portable buildings group, Portakabin, have announced they are to axe 80 jobs at their manufacturing base in York.

5 February - Administrators for the music chain Zavvi announce plans to close another 17 stores, including one in York. The branch on Coney Street employs 15 people.

4 February - Confirmation that up to 100 jobs will be created at the Nestle site in York. The positions will be based in a new facility for the companies co-packing operations.

January 2009

29 January - Arla Foods has announced plans to close its creamery in Northallerton. Up to 130 jobs could be lost if the plans go ahead. The company is planning to invest more than £70 million in its dairy near Leeds.

29 January - Up to 80 jobs at the York based software retailer Gamestation are under threat. The company's owners Game Group have announced plans that they're proposing to move teams from their head office on Clifton Moor to Basingstoke.

20 January - The Dutch owned Malton bacon Factory announces plans to axe up to 200 jobs as part of restructuring plans.

15 January - Scarborough Building Society could axe up to 90 jobs. The jobs would go as part of restructuring following the company's takeover by the Skipton Building Society.

12 January - The car dealer DeVries Honda goes into receivership. The company employs around 130 people across five branches in York, Scarborough, Northallerton, Hull and Stockton on Tees.

12 January - DHL Express in Scarborough announce plans to close their Scarborough Service Centre with the loss of 11 jobs.

9 January - 90 new jobs could be created later this year with the opening of a new soft drinks factory just off the A1 at Leeming Bar. Plans for the factory were approved this week.

8 January - Administrators for the music, DVD and games retailer Zavvi are to close 22 UK stores. One of those shutting is the store at the McArthur Glen outlet near York with the loss of 7 jobs.

8 January - Rigid Paper based in Selby closes today with the loss of 86 jobs. The company announced plans for closure last September.

7 January - Marks and Spencer announces plans to close it's "Simply Food" store in Ripon as part of a decision to cut 1200 jobs nationwide. The store on the Arcade opened in 2003 and employs 25 people.

7 January - The clothing company Viyella announces that it has been put into administration. The company has a store in Harrogate and concessions in York and Northallerton.

December 2008

17 December - National Express, which runs the East Coast mainline services through North Yorkshire, has announced plans to cut up to 750 jobs in the next year. The company says its review of staffing will concentrate on support services and administration.

17 December - Scottish and Newcastle, which owns John Smiths Brewery, have announced that 20 jobs will go from the Tadcaster site as part of a review of the company's bottling capacity.

12 December - Plans to build England's biggest wood pelleting mill near Selby are announced. The plan could create a large number of jobs in the area and development is due to begin in 2009.

12 December - Spanish banking group, Santander, announces plans to cut 1900 jobs in its three British businesses - Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley, all of whom have branches across North Yorkshire.

11 December - Up to 200 jobs across North Yorkshire could be under threat if the 9 remaining branches of Woolworths in the county do close.

4 December - Four hundred jobs could go as part of a programme of office closures by HM Customs and Revenue. Nine offices in Yorkshire and Humber are to be closed. Including offices in Ripon, Scarborough and York.

2 December - J A Magson Ltd based at Clifton Moor in York announce the loss of 160 jobs, as the 79-year-old company goes in to administration.

November 2008

13 November - UPM Raflatac in Scarborough announce that 75 jobs are under threat at the factory, which makes adhesive labels.

19 November - Wards of Sherburn, near Scarborough, announce that more than 40 jobs are under threat due to the downturn. The company, part of the Kingspan Group, is now in talks with trade unions.

October 2008

6 October - Focus DIY cut 750 jobs nationally, losses expected in Harrogate and Selby.

10 October - 86 jobs at Roseby's Selby distribution centre.

10 October - 5 jobs lost at Roseby's store in York.

13 October -  Norwich Union in York announces 200 job cuts.

24 October - Norwich Union in York announce between 20 and 25 jobs will be lost, mostly affecting customer service support staff.

24 October - Roseby's announce the closure of the store in Selby with a loss of 4 jobs and the Harrogate store, with a loss of 7 jobs. 

September 2008

15 September - 86 jobs at risk at Rigid Paper in Selby, a decision has yet to be made

16 September - 100 jobs at Dunlop Latex Foam in Harrogate, 55 further jobs will go when the company ceases trading.

August 2008

8 August - Polestar Greves printworks in Scarborough loses 190 jobs.

6 August - Norwich Union in York announces 500 jobs will go.

Earlier in 2008

6 March - 50 jobs lost at the York Remploy factory.

30 April - Polestar Greves printworks in Scarborough loses 190 jobs.

In spite of the banking crisis, new jobs have been created in North Yorkshire since August. These include the announcement of 100 new jobs at Nestle in York and 17 new jobs at a recently approved Lidl supermarket in Thirsk.

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