14/05/2019

NI Unemployment Rate Hits Record Low

The Northern Ireland unemployment rate has dropped to a record low in the last quarter.

Figures released in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) show the amount of unemployed people between January and March 2019 fell by almost one percentage point, to 2.9%.

The inactivity rate stands at 26.5% after decreasing by 0.2 percentage points over the quarter, while the employment rate rose by one point to 71.3%, a record high for the region.

The NI unemployment rate stands below that of the UK (3.8%), the Republic of Ireland (5.6%) and the EU rate (6.5%).

The figures are a measurement of the percentage of working age adults who are employed.

Just under half of unemployed people in the region (49%) were out of work for over one year, which is classed as long-term, compared to the 26.8% in the UK.



(JG/MH)

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