Fall in job numbers expected but worrying

Ulster Unionist MLA, Tom Elliott has expressed his worry about the job situation in Fermanagh and South Tyrone after information he received from the Department of Employment and Learning revealed that the total number of Jobseeker's Allowance Claimants in the area has risen by 120% from March 2008 to February 2009.

In a statement, Mr Elliott said: "I contacted the Department because I felt it was important to get hard facts about how the economic recession was hitting Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Unfortunately, yet not unexpectedly, the figures provided to me show that the total number of Jobseekers Allowance Claimants has risen from 1275 in March 2008 to 2813 in February this year. In the same period the number of vacancies in the local jobs and benefits offices in Enniskillen and Dungannon has fallen from 364 jobs available locally in March 2008 to 286 available in February this year. These statistics are obviously very worrying and provide us with an honestly brutal snapshot of the state of the local economy and the loss of jobs in areas such as construction and retail that have hit people hard."

Coming from a constituency which shares a large section of the border with the Republic of Ireland, Mr Elliott stated that southern trade was undoubtedly having a positive impact but should not be relied upon. He stressed that now was the time for Government representatives to work together to stimulate local job creation and that local people needed to support each other through the recession.

"At this moment in time there is nothing pressing more on the minds of people than the economic situation in the UK. That is why is vital that Government Ministers, both locally and nationally, work together to ensure that local job creation becomes a reality. We need to invest inwardly by enhancing and developing our infrastructure, by supporting local businesses in our towns and cities and by buying local produce from suppliers. This in turn will lead to more jobs for local people, many of whom are in desperate need of employment. Only we as a community can guarantee that our money is directly put back into the local economy in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and benefit the wider Northern Ireland and United Kingdom Community."

"A large proportion of the blame for the economic situation we find ourselves in lies squarely at the feet of the Labour Government who recklessly employed a policy of spend, spend, spend. There is now an onus on Government departments to ensure that capital projects move forward as quickly as possible. It is up to us to work to rebuild our financial foundation which has been so badly rocked and this will come through local people supporting each other and prioritising local businesses."