Official figures showed more than 200,000 workers lost their jobs in the three months to November.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the unemployment rate reached five per cent in the quarter – the rate in the North-East is significantly higher at 6.4 per cent, confirming that the second lockdown has ripped through the UK jobs market.
And experts warned that there would be further pain to come after the latest lockdown hammers the economy.
Niamh Corcoran, policy adviser at the North East England Chamber of Commerce said: “Whilst the rollout of the vaccine offers a glimmer of hope, we remain firmly in the second wave of the pandemic.