15/03/2006

NI Employment Remains At Low Level

Figures released today have revealed that Northern Ireland has the highest number of jobs on record and an unemployment rate equal to its lowest ever level.

Statistics from the Quarterly Employment Survey have shown that the unemployment rate from the period of November 2005 until January 2006 had dropped to 4%.

This has remained unchanged from the previous quarter and represents a decrease of 0.6% from the same period last year.

This means that the unemployment rate in Northern Ireland is lower than the UK average, which lies at 5%.

It has also been revealed that the seasonally adjusted claimant count figure for February 2006 stands at 28,300, showing that the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits has fallen by 400 during the last three months and by 800 over the past year.

Commenting on today's figures, Enterprise Minister, Angela Smith said that they represent good news for the Northern Ireland labour market by once again reaching record levels in unemployment.

The Minister said: "The number of jobs in Northern Ireland has grown steadily in recent years, but we must not be complacent. We need to ensure that increased employment is combined with improved competitiveness in order to sustain further growth in the economy.

"It is our aim to instil a climate whereby our companies are more market aware and focussed on business improvement."

The Enterprise Minister concluded by saying that by investing in the future and developing high value added products and services, Northern Ireland businesses will be able to ensure continued growth in jobs.

(EF/SP)

Related Northern Ireland Recruitment News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

11 September 2013
Unemployment Rate Decreases
Figures released today for the period May - July 2013 show that the Northern Ireland unemployment rate decreased by 0.9 percentage points over the quarter to 6.9%. More recent figures for August 2013 show that the number of unemployment benefit claimants decreased by 300 over the month.
14 June 2006
Minister Welcomes Increase In NI Jobs
Northern Ireland's Economy Minister, Maria Eagle has today welcomed the continuing growth in Northern Ireland jobs figures. The figures, which were released today, show that Northern Ireland has the highest number of jobs on record, and the unemployment rate remains below the UK average.
15 August 2013
Further Decrease In Unemployment Rate
Figures released for the period April - July 2013 show that the Northern Ireland unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points over the quarter to 7.5%. More recent figures for July 2013 show that the number of unemployment benefit claimants decreased by 500 over the month.
12 December 2007
NI Employment Levels Hit Record High
Christmas may be the time to be merry, but it looks like there is reason to celebrate well in to 2008 as figures just released have shown that Northern Ireland has the highest number of jobs on record – with many more people working in both the building and construction world, as well as in the service sector.
15 November 2012
UUP Comments On Latest Unemployment Figures
Ulster Unionist Economy spokesperson Sandra Overend MLA has commented on the latest unemployment figures which have been released. They show that an additional 600 people were added to the local claimant count which now stands at 64,100.