More than 100,000 new jobs were created in England last year through an increase in housebuilding, with Essex among the “hotspots”, according to a new report.

Analysis by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) shows that house building is now supporting around 667,000 jobs in total.

The report, entitled “New Jobs Created By House Building: Building Communities, Boosting Employment”, says that 5,031 house building jobs were created in Essex last year, a figure beaten only by the London Boroughs and Greater Manchester.

It estimates that the total house building workforce in the county now stands at 17,329.

The HBF says improvements to the planning system and the Government-backed Help to Buy scheme have helped house builders increase output by around a third in the past two years.

Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the HBF, said: “The house building industry has increased its output at the steepest rate for decades. Delivering the high quality homes we desperately need is also providing a huge boost to economies across the country.

“The industry is recruiting and training tens of thousands of new people to ensure it can continue to deliver significant sustainable increases in supply and provide the high quality homes the country needs,” he added.