Derry/Strabane dole rate rises to 5% with increases for women and men

The latest labour market report shows 4,725 people in Derry/Strabane were claiming either Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Universal Credit (UC) in July.

The percentage rate of working-age people on JSA or UC rose from 4.8 per cent in June to 5 per cent in July and remained by far the highest rate in the North.

The dole rate in Derry/Strabane is more than two and a half times higher than in Lisburn and Castlereagh (1.9 per cent) and it is 0.8 percentage points above the rate in Belfast (4.2 per cent).

The rate increased for both men and women in the Derry and Strabane area.

There were 2,770 male claimants (6 per cent of the working age population - up from 5.9 per cent month-on-month) and there were 1,955 female claimants (4 per cent of the working age population - up from 3.7 per cent).