Derry/Strabane suffering highest dole rate - twice that of Lisburn/Castlereagh

The claimant count in Derry and Strabane at the end of October was 7.1 per cent which was almost double that of the area with the lowest count Lisburn and Castlereagh (3.7%).

The figure includes Jobseeker’s Allowance Claimants and people claiming Universal Credit principally because they are unemployed.

SDLP economy spokesperson Sinéad McLaughlin said the figures painted a bleak picture.

“These latest official statistics underline the dire employment situation in Derry and Strabane. Yet the minister and her department refused yet again only last week to specify that addressing regional inequality should be a priority for her department. Support measures must be specifically targeted at Derry and Strabane.

“The city and the North West have been neglected for decades. It is essential that there is a greater focus on job location in Derry and Strabane, supported by targets and allocations of financial assistance geared to achieving this.

"I also want to see Invest NI and government officials making the case strongly and widely for the benefits of investing in Derry and Strabane, with its high quality of life, low cost of living, friendly population and beautiful location," said the Foyle MLA.

The latest labour market report reveals that across the north there was a small increase in the number of paid employees, according to HMRC data, following a fall of 1.7% between March and April this year.

However, the October total remains 1.6% lower than in March and 0.9% lower than October last year.

Equally, this year has seen a record number of proposed redundancies, in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic and associated economic crisis.

"There were 820 proposed redundancies in October 2020 and 710 proposed between November 1 and 6. From November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020, 9,600 redundancies were proposed, the highest annual total since records began.

"The department was notified of 1,240 confirmed redundancies in October 2020, the highest monthly total this year and the second highest on record. This takes the number of confirmed redundancies to 4,060 in the 12 months to the end of October, with over 3,200 in the last four months; compared to 3,100 the previous year," the report states.