1,403 out of work locally

According to the latest figures from the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment, the claimant count in the borough now stands at 1,403 (June), compared to 1,481 in May.

Wards within the borough registering the most claimant counts for unemployment in June were Castle Demesne with 119 (122 in May), Ballee with 104 (107 in May) and Ballykeel with 103 (115 the previous month).

Portglenone saw the biggest decrease in claimants down 18 from 70 in May to 52 in June.

The ward with the lowest number of people registering as jobless was Slemish on 13.

Province-wide the jobless total has fallen by 900 over the past month with the total claimant count now standing at 54,300 people.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said: “A further decrease in the Northern Ireland unemployment rate is welcome.”