Firms in Norfolk need to change the way they view traditional employment models if they are to keep pace with the jobs market, according to a Jobcentre manager.

Julia Nix, Jobcentre Plus district manager for East Anglia, said employers should consider 'diversifying their workforce' by employing part-time workers or offering flexible hours to new employees to fill vacancies.

It comes as figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed job vacancies were at a record high from January to March, up 2.1% from the last quarter of 2016 to 767,000.

Ms Nix said: 'It is a healthy market for jobseekers which encourages employers to think differently.'

She added: 'This time of year is always strong for recruitment.'

A jobs fair in Norwich later this month will see employers including Norse, Able Care, Greene King, Debenhams, MacDonalds and B&M scouting for new employees.

Ms Nix added that the Jobcentre had already seen an increase in advertised apprenticeships following the introduction of the apprenticeship levy this month.

The latest claimant count figures, measuring claims for jobseekers' allowance (JSA) and universal credit, show the number of people claiming the employment-related benefits in Norfolk, Fenland and Waveney in March was 11,475. This is up from 11,070 last month and 9.705 a year earlier.

Ms Nix said the number of 16 to 24-year-olds claiming employment-related benefits in Norwich had risen from 375 in March 2016 to 380 last month, which she termed a 'very reasonable' increase.

Across Norfolk there were 1,975 16 to 24-year-olds claiming universal credit and JSA in March, but the unemployment rate for young workers in East Anglia was at 4%, a 7% drop year-on-year and lower than the East of England average.

The ONS has said claimant counts will rise as universal credit is rolled out in particular areas.