Derry tops jobless chart while wages in city and district below average
Derry remains the unemployment capital of the north while wages in the city and district are below average, newly published statistics confirm.
Updated NISRA Labour Market Statistics show that the number of men claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit chiefly because they are unemployed in the Foyle constituency stood at 1,630 (5.5%) by the start of this month. The number of women out of work and claiming unemployment benefits stood at 1,300 (4%).
The combined unemployment rate among the working age population in Derry at 4.7% was significantly higher than the 2.8% Northern Ireland average.
While in Foyle there were a total of 2,935 claimants, across the wider Derry City & Strabane District Council area there were 3,875 people on unemployment benefits.
New PAYE data also reveals that Derry & Strabane has among the lowest average wages in the north, with a median pay packet of £2,346 per month against a Northern Ireland average of £2,487.
Separate previous reports meanwhile showed that the city and district had the highest levels of economic inactivity anywhere in the north at 35.2%.
There was one chink of light in the figures locally in that the claimant count has fallen 14% year on year.
Reacting to the figures, Foyle SDLP MLA Sinéad McLaughlin that while it is encouraging to see the claimant count continuing to fall, the figures highlight “the scale of the challenge that remains”.
“Foyle still has the highest claimant rate in Northern Ireland, while Derry and Strabane continues to record the highest levels of economic inactivity and among the lowest average wages. These are not isolated statistics - they reflect long-standing regional inequalities that continue to hold the North West back.
“That is why I have introduced my Regional Balance Bill. We need legislation that places regional balance at the heart of economic decision-making so that every part of Northern Ireland has a fair opportunity to grow, attract investment and create good jobs."