Biggest rise in North jobless total for 30 years
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the North showed the largest monthly increase in almost 30 years today.
The total rose 10% – by 3,100 to 34,100 – in November, the biggest monthly rise since October 1980, and was back to the same level of five years ago.
While the construction industry accounted for approximately one third of the increase, job losses have been more widely spread among other sectors this month.
The number of people in jobs plunged by almost 7,000, again the largest drop in almost three decades.
However, the seasonally adjusted unemployment total for the three months to the end of October of 36,000, a rate of 4.3%, was essentially unchanged on the previous quarter.
But it was up 2,000 on the same time a year ago.
But with redundancies being announced almost daily, there are many more to be added to the total in the months ahead.
The Quarterly Employment Survey showed there were 718,370 jobs filled in September, an estimated decrease of 6,990 over the quarter and a fall of 4,420 over the year.
The decrease was driven by falls in the service sector (down 4,280), construction (down 1,600), and manufacturing (down 1,120).
It was the largest quarterly decrease in the seasonally adjusted employee total since December 1980.
Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said: “The latest figures show that the global downturn is making an impact in Northern Ireland.
“This is the largest monthly increase in the registered unemployed since 1980. Third-quarter results also showed the largest fall in employee jobs in nearly 30 years.
“This is not unexpected. Although there was marginal job growth earlier this year, the pressure on jobs has been building for some time.”
The minister said the sharp decline in employee jobs and the marked increase in claimants showed the pace of change had quickened in recent months.
“There are also signs that the construction-led downturn is now spreading into other areas of the economy, with sectors such as manufacturing facing increased difficulties,” he said.
Mrs Foster, however, said it was important to keep the changes in perspective.
While the latest totals showed a sharp contraction in employee jobs over the quarter, the fall was from an historic high and unemployment rate in the province was still the lowest of the UK regions.
“While there are undoubtedly difficult times ahead, Northern Ireland is not unique in having to face these challenges,” she said.
