City defies downturn with new firms

22/03/2010

York saw 80 more businesses launched than closed last year, despite the recession, although there was a rise in claimants for Job Seekers Allowance in the last couple of months.
However, the rises in Job Seekers Allowance claimants were smaller than for the same period in 2009. Meanwhile, the number of Civil Service jobs rose by 110 to 2,970 - almost double the number in 1997.
York Labour MP Hugh Bayley, who obtained the figures from the Office for National Statistics, said there were 80 more business enterprises in 2009 than a year before, adding: "Over the decade from 2000 to 2009, the number of enterprises in York rose by 1,175 from 4,645 to 5,820."
Mr Bayley said York survived the recession better than any other city in the north of England, being "a lively place, full of enterprises who shrugged off the gloomy economic predictions and got on with business."
The city's natural advantages included good schools and colleges, a skilled workforce and a beautiful environment. These would will help its community bounce back from the recession more quickly than other places, said Mr Bayley.
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