8.2% of workers nowclaiming dole

This was up by 0.1 percentage points on March but year-on-year the amount of dole claimaints here was up from 7.6 per cent to 8.2 per cent.

The amount of dole claimaints in Limavady and Strabane remained static over the month at 6.7 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively.

These were amongst the highest rates in Northern Ireland but indicated a slight improvement on dole figures posted this time last year in Limavady (6.9 per cent) and Strabane (7 per cent).

According to the latest labour market figures for Northern Ireland the province-wide claimant count rate was 6.8 per cent in April 2012 - the second highest among the twelve UK regions - the UK rate was just 4.9 per cent.

But the report points out that the North West is once again the province’s dole blackspot - particularly Londonderry.

“The highest rates at April 2012 were in Derry (8.2 per cent), Belfast (7.5 per cent), Strabane (7.1 per cent) and Limavady (6.7 per cent),” the report states.

“Those that showed the highest percentage increase in levels over the year to April 2012 were Carrickfergus (13.8 per cent), Lisburn (11.8 per cent) and Craigavon (11.6 per cent),” it adds.

The latest monthly increase in Northern Ireland claimants (1.1 per cent) compares to the monthly fall of 0.9 per cent in the UK as a whole.

Over the year, the Northern Ireland claimant count has increased by 5.6% (3,300), compared to an increase of 7.2 per cent in the UK. The annual increase in Northern Ireland was the fourth lowest among the UK regions.

Meanwhile, figures also released for the period January - March 2012 show that the Northern Ireland unemployment rate - a different measure than the claimaint count rate - was down 0.5 percentage points over the quarter at 6.7 per cent.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said: “It is positive to note the Northern Ireland labour market figures for the first quarter of 2012, which showed an increase in employment levels and a reduction in the unemployment rate from the last quarter.

“Our unemployment rate of 6.7 per cent compares favourably to the equivalent rates for the UK (8.2 per cent), European Union (10.2 per cent) and Republic of Ireland (14.7 per cent).

“However, more recent figures for April 2012 show an increase of 700 in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits. This demonstrates the continuing pressures within the UK, the Euro Zone and the wider global economy, pressures we cannot expect to remain immune from.”