Rate of unemployment growth slows in North

The rate of growth in unemployment figures has slowed in the North, according to figures released today.

Unemployment is still on the increase however, despite an improvement in other parts of the UK.

There were an extra 500 claimants in December 2009. However this was smaller than the average monthly increase last year and the unemployment rate in the three months to November fell to 6.8%.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said it was encouraging to see the increase in unemployment slowing to below the UK average.

"While this increase is disappointing, the growth in claimants last month is below the average monthly increase of over 2,000 recorded during the first six months of the year," she said.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits stood at 54,500 last month. The increase was larger than the previous monthly increase of 200 but smaller than the average of 1,500 last year.

The number of people of working age that were economically inactive decreased by an estimated 14,000 during the three months to November. However it remains considerably higher than the UK average rate.

The government in the North was notified of 343 redundancies which took place last month, compared to 451 the previous December.

Output from the production industries increased slightly over the three months to November, this is the first quarter to report stability since 2008. Service industry output fell over the quarter by 0.3%.

Ms Foster added: "These estimates represent an improvement on the large falls recorded during the height of the recession, but they also highlight the continued difficulties that sectors such as engineering and allied industries and business services and finance are facing.

"The economic recovery will be a gradual process and it may be some time before we see growth recorded across all sectors.

"I remain committed to assisting businesses through these difficult times and doing all that I can to ensure Northern Ireland is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that arise as we move out of recession."

Alliance Party MLA Sean Neeson said: "These figures underline the urgent need for the Stormont Executive to get back to real work and deliver a radical strategy like a Green New Deal to create more jobs and maximise Northern Ireland's economic potential.

"At this difficult time almost everyone is worried about their job and I would like to see the Executive focus on the pressing concerns of the public."