14/11/2007

N I Unemployment Remains Lowest In UK

Unemployment in Northern Ireland remains at a historically low level, with the unemployment rate still the lowest among the UK regions.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Northern Ireland was estimated at 3.8% for the period July - September 2007.

This is similar to the estimate for the previous quarter (3.7%), but is down from the figure recorded one year ago (4.7%). The Northern Ireland rate remains below the UK average (5.4%) and is also considerably lower than the EU25 rate (6.7%) for August 2007.

Seasonally adjusted figures for the period July - September 2007 also estimate that there were 779,000 people in employment in Northern Ireland. The new figures represent an estimated fall of 0.8% in employment levels over the quarter, but an increase of 2.0% over the year.

During the last month, the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits increased by 100. The latest seasonally adjusted claimant count figure stands at 23,200, down 4,500 over the year.

The latest seasonally adjusted working age economic inactivity rate in Northern Ireland (27.3%) is slightly up from the figure of 26.6% recorded in the previous quarter. The Northern Ireland rate (27.3%) remains significantly higher than the UK average (21.2%) and is the highest among the UK regions.

Commenting on the figures, Economy Minister Nigel Dodds said: "The Northern Ireland unemployment rate remains consistently low, well below the European average and now the lowest among the UK regions.

"This, combined with news of a further annual increase in employment, illustrates how the Northern Ireland labour market has strengthened in recent years."

(BMcC)


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