21/01/2009

Job Creation Lessens Dole Queue Gloom

A financial services company has announced it will create 40 jobs in an expansion in north Belfast - positive news, especially when set against the new unemployment figures - which showed a further increase in the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits.

The number of people claiming unemployment related benefits increased by 1,800 during the latest month to 35,900 in December 2008.

While this was smaller than the monthly increase in November 2008 (3,100), the December increase resulted in the largest annual increase (12,200) in over 37 years (since January 1971).

Therefore Prestige Insurance Holdings move to take over a 22,000 sq ft facility at Jennymount Business Park - creating the new jobs in the process - is being welcomed.

The jobs will mostly be in financial advisory roles, relating to insurance claims.

The company, which provides insurance brokerage and underwriting services, said they had experienced an upsurge in demand across Great Britain.

George Storey, Chairman of Prestige, said they were making a "significant investment in local talent".

"We are very excited about the prospect of developing our business across Great Britain and extremely pleased that we can service such business from a base in Belfast," he told the BBC today.

Meanwhile, while there are some modest gains in the service sector, it also emerged in today's official figures that the hard-pressed construction industry continued to account for 44% of the rise in claimants in December.

(BMcC)

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