Three times as many jobs in ‘Derry’ as in Londonderry

Yesterday, there were 64 vacancies advertised by employers seeking workers in Derry. For job seekers looking for work in Londonderry, only 19 vacancies appeared on JobCentre Online.

East Londonderry MP and MLA, Gregory Campbell said he intended to bring the disparity to the attention of the Equality Commission, as new guidelines on advertising may help reduce the under-representation of Protestants in a number of North West workforces.

Yesterday, after learning of the issue through the Sentinel, DEL described it as “an IT based anomaly” which it would seek to redress.

“This news coincides with the publication of the annual Monitoring report by the Equality Commission of the breakdown by perceived religious affiliation of the workforce in all companies who employ more than ten people,” said Mr Campbell.

“As a result of the ‘disparity’ between available positions in Londonderry and ‘Derry’, the Equality Commission, whose attention I intend to draw regarding this, should look at asking companies to advertise any vacancies in such a way that will result in the widest possible response.

“If any of the companies have a lower than expected number of Protestants in their workforce, as many in the North West do, I will be asking the Equality Commission to ensure that one of the ways in which those companies could move to address that problem is by advertising as Londonderry instead of Derry. It may even be the case that where there is an under - representation of Protestants, part of the reason is the way in which they advertise the vacancies which arise.”

A DEL spokesman responded: “Vacancy details are input to JobCentre Online (JCOL) as supplied by employers - they decide whether or not to use ‘Derry’ or ‘Londonderry’. Equally, job seekers can search for jobs using either or both names for the search location.

“An ‘Advanced search’ facility is also available that enables a search to be carried out to return all vacancies in the area. The Department is establishing an Employer Engagement Team with effect from 1 January which will be seeking to improve our services to employers including reviewing opportunities to improve our online systems JCOL and Employers Online with a view to addressing this IT based anomaly.”