Derry's 'dire' economy laid bare
A new study on Derry's economy has highlighted shocking levels of poverty, dependence on benefits and the devastating impact of the city's low wage economy.
The report, compiled by experts at the University of Lincoln on behalf of U4D - the lobby group campaigning for the expansion of university provision in the city - will be published this morning.
Among the report’s findings is the revelation that households in Derry receive more than double the amount of non-disability social security payments than the Northern Ireland average.
Also revealed is the fact that a quarter of all the people living in Northern Ireland who cannot afford to keep their homes warm live in Derry.
It also reveals that the city has the highest unemployment rate in Northern Ireland at 7.2%, and that 29% of working age people locally have no qualifications. This figure rises to a staggering 40% in Strabane.
Pay rates in the North West are also significantly lower than the average wages in Northern Ireland and the UK. The weekly median pay is 359 in Derry, compared to 417 in Northern Ireland and 478 in the UK.
“This report makes clear that the economy of Derry-Londonderry and Strabane is terribly weak,” says U4D chair Padraig Canavan. “For the economy to become stronger requires higher local skills, which will drive higher levels of employment and higher pay. The way to achieve this is obvious - it is to expand Magee, so that Derry becomes a proper University City. That will provide this city with the necessary skills for the modern economy. That, in turn, will enable local firms to expand and attract inward investment.”
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Weather for Derry
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 29 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 14 C to 24 C
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