Numbers of Unemployed in NI Rise Again
The number of people unemployed in Northern Ireland has risen again, with a further 1,600 people joining the dole queue last month. This latest increase brings the total number looking for work to 52,700. The jobless total has almost doubled over the last year - up by more than 86%. However, Northern Ireland still remains below the UK average for the number of employed as the level here currently stands at 6.7%, the second lowest in the UK regions, and also far below the level of umployment in the Republic where the figure is around 12.2%. The UK's overall jobless rates are also lower than the European Union average.
Northern Ireland does however have a high "inativity rate" (29.5%) when compared with the UK average (21.1%) as the number of people classed as "economically inactive" (those who are not looking for work because of sickness, disability or domestic responsibilities) rose by about 5,000 in the last quarter. In the period May - July 2009 there were an estimated 322,000 economically inactive people of working age resident in Northern Ireland.
Another major problem if that of youth unemployment where the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds stands at 18.6%, an increase of 6.5 percentage points over the year.
Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster, MLA said the scale of the current recession was "unprecedented in the post-war era". She went on to say that "Its effect on the Northern Ireland economy has been stark," and added, "While some recent reports have indicated that the world economy is beginning to stabilise, it is anticipated that the fall-out from the downturn will be with us for some time to come." Ms Foster went on to say that NI companies should be supported through difficult times and that she is preparing to lead an Invest NI trade mission to India next week in order to meet existing and potential investors.
Unemployment within the UK as a whole is now at a 14-year high of 2.47 million after a 210,000 rise in the three months to July, official figures showed today. Nationally, the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance rose by 24,400 to 1.61 million in August - the highest since May 1997 and the 18th monthly rise in a row, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). UK-wide the unemployment rate is now 7.9% of the working age population, up 0.7% on the previous three months and the highest since November 1996. The number of economically inactive people also rose to its highest point since ONS records began in 1971, at 7.99 million.