Co-ordinated action required to tackle unemployment says Armstrong

Mid-Ulster Assemblyman Billy Armstrong has again called for co-ordinated Government action to tackle the ongoing unemployment crisis in Mid-Ulster following the release of the latest unemployment statistics.

The Ulster Unionist MLA said;

"As I have highlighted previously, the Mid-Ulster area has been particularly badly affected by the downturn in the construction industry, and the loss of many jobs in small building firms.

I am particularly keen to see more being done to help local small and medium sized enterprises, and to promote apprenticeships and training schemes.

We must recognise that the recession was caused by global factors far beyond the control of the Westminster Government, let alone the Stormont Executive, and the fact is that real improvement in local employment conditions will only come about once the World Economy picks up.

There has been some welcome and encouraging news recently with American Federal Reserve suggesting that the worst of the US recession is over amid growing signs of an upturn in the US economy. There has also been recent data which showed that both the French and German economies grew by 0.3% between April and June, bringing to an end year-long recessions in two of Europe's largest economies.

This may be the first signs of a recovery, but as yet we have no indication of how fragile such a recovery may be, and even if the UK economy were to see similar "green shoots" past experience tells us that economic recovery may well take some time top reach Northern Ireland.

It is therefore imperative that the Stormont Executive does all in its power to lay the groundwork for a recovery so that we in Northern Ireland are ready to take advantage of improved economic circumstances as and when they do finally arrive.

The recent unemployment statistics published in the most recent Monthly Labour Market Report (August 2009) have confirmed what local people already knew to be the case, namely that the ongoing economic recession is still hitting Mid-Ulster hard.

According to the data, in July 2009 in the Magherafelt Council area, 1,145 people, representing 4.2 per cent of adults of working age were registered as claimants. This represents an increase of 756 people or 194 per cent on the figure for the same period last year.

In the Cookstown Council area, 1,082 people, representing 4.9 per cent of adults of working age were registered as claimants. This represents an increase of 671 or 163.3 per cent on the figure for the same period last year.

With regards to Northern Ireland as a whole, according to the most recent Monthly Labour Market Report, the Claimant count indicated that a total of 51,430 people are listed as unemployed, making up 4.7% of all people of working age. This is an increase of 24,030 on last year, an increase of 87.7 per cent.

These are truly shocking figures and once again highlight the devastating impact which the recession has had and is continuing to have on Northern Ireland in general and the Mid-Ulster area in particular."