Jobs: Decrease in Derry and Strabane unemployment rate

The Derry and Strabane council area remains the council area with the highest level of unemployment in the North but 130 less people claimed unemployment related benefits in May than in April.

The change in the unemployment figure for the local council area over the last 12 months is more significant.

More than 1,000 (1,075) people are in receipt of unemployment related benefits in the Derry and Strabane council area in May 2016 than in May 2015; this decrease represents a drop of 15.9 per cent.

The current unemployment rate in the Derry and Strabane council area is 5.9 per cent; with the total number of people in receipt of unemployment related benefits equalling to 5,693.

There is a higher proportion of men claiming unemployment related benefits (3,936) in Derry and Strabane; this is more than twice the figure of that for women (1,757).

The parliamentary constituency of Foyle has the second highest unemployment rate out of 650 parliamentary constituencies throughout the U.K. Foyle is second only to Birmingham, Ladywood.

Foyle (4,292) also has the highest number of claimants in the U.K., again, second only to Birmingham, Ladywood (5,839).