Rise in borough’s monthly jobless total

As of July, the jobless total for the borough stands at 1,572, of which the vast majority are men.

Broken down into wards, Dunclug and Ballykeel are joint highest on 110 each.

While the Dunclug total showed no change from June, Ballykeel’s out-of-work figure rose by 12 claimants month on month.

Next highest was Ballee on 108 (compared to 98 in June), third was Cullybackey on 97 (down from 103) and Moat on 92 (compared to 88 in June) was fourth highest.

The ward with the least unemployment as of July this year was Ballyloughan on 27 (a rise of four claimants from the previous month).

The latest figures also showed that unemployment is continuing to rise throughout the province, showing a small increase on the previous quarter.

The figures from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment estimate that 7.3% of the population in Northern Ireland are currently out of work.

The figure represents a slight increase from 7.2% for the period April-June 2011, and translates as a rise of around 600 people claiming unemployment benefits.

It also represents a year-on-year rise from the figure of 6.7% for the same period in 2010.

In spite of the latest rise, the unemployment rate in Northern Ireland remains below the UK average of 7.9%.

Commenting on the figures, Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said, “Given the level of uncertainty about the state of the global economy, the road to economic recovery was always going to be tough and the latest rise in unemployment highlights the challenge that we continue to face.

“However, it should be noted that the latest Northern Ireland unemployment rate remained below both the UK and European averages. In addition, the latest indicators also reported a fall in economic inactivity and a rise in employment levels in Northern Ireland.”

The minister added: “Our long-term goal has always been to develop a strong and vibrant private sector that can compete internationally and which can provide employment opportunities for the people of Northern Ireland.

“This aim remains unchanged throughout the global economic downturn.”