The number of people unemployed in the UK fell slightly in the three months to December 2009, but the number of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance jumped unexpectedly last month new figures show.
Figures from the British Office for National Statistics show that claimant count unemployment rose by 23,500 last month, the biggest rise since last July.
The rise wiped out the declines seen in the previous two months and took the total number of claimants to its highest since 1997. Economists had been expecting claimant count unemployment to fall for a third consecutive month, by around 10,000.
Nonetheless Britain’s unemployment rate, which remained steady at 7.8 per cent continues to be lower than the Eurozone average of 10 per cent and behind the 9.7 per cent rate in the United States.
Figures for Northern Ireland show that the official unemployment rate in the North fell to 6 per cent between October and December- 1.8 per cent lower than the UK average. The estimated unemployment total in Northern Ireland is 49,000.
The number of people claiming jobless benefits in Northern Ireland jumped to 56,100 in January however - double the increase recorded for the previous month and the largest on record since last August.
This translates to a 43 per cent increase in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the North over the last 12 months.
The North’s Enterprise Minister said the latest labour market figures show that the “ongoing impact of the economic downturn is still very much with us.”
Strabane, Derry and Limavady continue to be among the worst hit areas in the North in relation to unemployment levels.
All three suffer from a higher percentage unemployment rate than anywhere else in Northern Ireland of between 7 and 7.3 per cent.
Arlene Foster says there is unlikely to be a quick solution to the North’s jobless woes.
“Most economic commentators believe that unemployment will continue to rise during the first half of 2010, before a sustained economic recovery is translated into jobs growth. The latest claimant count and redundancy figures indicate that this may indeed be the case.
“Our aim remains the same – to provide practical help and support to Northern Ireland businesses to ensure that job losses are minimised.”