Unemployment is continuing to rise in Norfolk ahead of even the national levels of joblessness.

The latest Economic Intelligence report from the Norfolk County Council shows that unemployment stands at 4.4pc - ahead of the national figure of 3.9pc.

And that is before people currently furloughed is taken into account with these people still classed as employed.

It spells for trouble when the scheme does end, with businesses back to picking up the wage bill after almost a year of disrupted trade.

The report also found that at just 29.7pc of Norfolk's working age population have obtained higher level qualifications than the Eastern region (36.8pc) and Great Britain (40.3pc).

But there is light at the end of the tunnel for people looking for less highly-skilled roles in the unlikely sector of hospitality.

Although the sector has taken a battering due to lockdown restrictions, travel bans, and lost seasons, experts are predicting that this summer could see a boom.

Shaun Sadler, district operations leader in East Anglia for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "We would usually expect to see a rise in unemployment around this time of year as seasonal jobs from the summer continue to drop off - and we didn't have the boost we would usually get from Christmas.

"On top of this a lot of people who had summer jobs weren't on the payroll long enough to qualify for the furlough scheme so this has added to the figures.

"I think we would be naive not to prepare for an increase in unemployment when furlough ends in March - particularly when we look at when we will begin coming out of lockdown and how."

However he said hospitality could be the unexpected antidote to the jobs cliff-edge: "Hospitality is such a broad industry in Norfolk and businesses are fairly confident that staycations are going to be very in vogue due to travel restrictions and confidence.

"With that in mind I think we could see an increase in roles in this sector and would encourage people who have lost their jobs in other industries to consider a move - even if it's not what you want for your career long term."