Norther Ireland Office - Secretary of State welcomes rising employment figures

19 Oct 2016 01:09 PM

James Brokenshire has welcomed today's labour market stats, which show continued positive trends for NI.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire has welcomed the latest labour market figures published today.

The stats for Northern Ireland show continued positive trends and the employment rate is the highest since the series began in 1995, exceeding 70% for the first time.

Reflecting on the news, the Secretary of State said:

Today’s encouraging unemployment figures show a welcome fall for the sixth month in a row – with unemployment at the lowest level since 2008. There are also 64,000 more people in work in Northern Ireland since 2010.

Economic inactivity also continues to fall, which is good news. The government will continue do everything it can to build a stronger economy and a Northern Ireland that works for everyone.

A summary of the latest labour market figures for Northern Ireland:

• The employment rate has increased by 1.1 percentage points over the quarter and 2.2 percentage points over the year, now standing at 70.1 percent - the highest since the series began in 1995.

• There are 64,000 more people in work since 2010.

• The unemployment rate is at its lowest point since November 2008.

• The claimant count fell for the sixth successive month, with the Northern Ireland decrease being the largest of all UK regions.

• Economic activity is up with economic inactivity falling to its lowest level since the series began in 1995.

UK Labour Market : October 2016