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)