Province sees jobless total rise to over 46,000
THE number of people out of work in Northern Ireland rose by 2,000 last month as the continued effects of the recession are felt across the Province.
Figures released yesterday by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) showed the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 6.1 per cent for the period January to March 2009 – up from 4.6 per cent in the same period last year.
The figures, as measured by the Labour Force Survey (LFS), show a rise of one per cent over the last quarter as the number of claimants reached 46,100.
Acknowledging the most recent rise, Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster, said the global recession continued to impact on the local economy but stressed that Northern Ireland continued to fare a little better than other UK regions and beyond.
“We have not been alone in experiencing a deterioration in labour market conditions. Most UK regions and EU countries have also recorded large increases in their unemployment figures.
“However, the current Northern Ireland rate remains below both the UK and European Union averages.”
The Northern Ireland unemployment rate remained below the UK average rate (7.1 per cent), the European Union rate (7.9 per cent) and the Republic’s rate (10 per cent) for February 2009.
Over the year to April 2009, the number of unemployed claimants in Northern Ireland has increased by 21,900 (90.5 per cent), which is similar to the equivalent UK increase (88.6 per cent).
The majority of the annual increase, 14,600 in Northern Ireland, has occurred in the last six months.
One area where the Province continues to outstrip the rest of the UK is in the seasonally adjusted figures for working age people that are economically inactive, which increased by an estimated 14,000 over the quarter.
The rate now sits at 28.6 per cent for January to March 2009, compared to the UK average rate of 20.7 per cent.
Referring to redundancy statistics, the department reported a 159 per cent increase over the last year to April 30 – 4,249 compared to 1,643 in the previous year.
“This is undoubtedly a very challenging time for Northern Ireland businesses as global economic conditions continue to impede product demand and growth,” said Mrs Foster.
“We are continuing to work closely with the private sector to identify the areas where we can provide the most effective assistance and through Invest NI we have already implemented a range of programmes to provide practical support and advice.”
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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