Jobless figure rises again

NORTH Down has the second lowest unemployment rate in Northern Ireland.

A further 93 people became unemployed in January and with this 6.1% increase in the jobless total in the borough, there are now 1243 men and 383 women out of work.

This is 3.4% of the available workforce. The Northern Ireland average is 5.1%.

The figures show an increase year on year of 48.4%.

The January figures disrupt a trend that from October to December had recorded a fall in the Northern Ireland unemployment rate to 6%.

More recent figures for the province for January 2010 showed an increase of 1,400 over the month in the number of unemployed claimants.

Commenting on the figures, Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster said: “The Northern Ireland unemployment rate was recorded at 6.0% during the fourth quarter of 2009. This figure was lower than the UK average rate of 7.8%, was the lowest of the UK regions and was below the Republic of Ireland rate of 12.9%.

“However, more recent figures for January 2010 show a sharp increase of 1,400 in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits. The latest monthly increase in claimants was the largest for several months, both in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK, and these results emphasise that the ongoing impact of the economic downturn is still very much with us.

“Most economic commentators believe that unemployment will continue to rise during the first half of 2010, before a sustained economic recovery is translated into jobs growth. The latest claimant count and redundancy figures indicate that this may indeed be the case.

“Our aim remains the same – to provide practical help and support to Northern Ireland businesses to ensure that job losses are minimised. It is imperative that businesses hold onto their key skilled employees.”