Figures highlight further fall in NI unemployment

The number of people claiming job-seekers’ allowances in the North is continuing to fall, according to figures released today by the British government.

The figures showed that, when seasonal factors were taken into account, the number of people claiming the allowance fell by 500 in March to 40,000.

Meanwhile, industrial output statistics also released today showed that production levels in the North had risen by almost 3% in the past year. Barry Gardiner, the British Government’s Enterprise Minister for the North, said the figures were an indication of the strength of the economy in the six counties.