Number claiming unemployment benefit in North rockets

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the North has rocketed by more than 75% in the last year.

Official figures released today showed the claimant count rising faster than the rest of the UK – an extra 18,100 (75.7%) in the past 12 months.

Almost 80% of the rise was recorded in the last six months as the economic decline gathered pace. There are now 42,000 claimants of unemployment benefits in the province.

The number recorded as unemployed under the government’s preferred measure jumped 10,000 to 46,000 for the three months to the end of January.

The unemployment rate of 5.7% was up a full 1.3% over the previous quarter. The figures from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment showed 32.7% of the unemployed had been out of work for more than a year.

The number of people in employment in the province was estimated at 765,000 - 23,000 down over the quarter and 18,000 down on a year ago.

The number of people facing redundancy continues to increase. DETI said it was notified of 893 proposed redundancies in the month to mid-March, compared with the 715 proposed in the previous month.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said the figures were disappointing, but not unexpected in the context of the global downturn.

The minister said: “Most of the increases have occurred in the past six months and it is clear that employers are increasingly feeling the impact of the economic downturn.

“It is equally clear that there are no quick fixes available to turn around the global economy.”

However she said it was a time for businesses to be proactive as they faced the current economic challenges.

“Successful companies will be those that sustain their marketing strategies and adapt them to maintain and develop market share,” said Mrs Foster.