NI unemployment falls for 12th consecutive month

The number of unemployed in Northern Ireland has fallen for the 12th month in a row

The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in Northern Ireland has fallen again, for a 12th month a row.

Government figures show a drop of 600 in the month of January to 58,700.

However, the unemployment rate continues to fall at a slower rates than the rest of the UK.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stands at 7.4% which is above the national average.

In fact, the rate which is based on the labour force survey, showed a 0.1% quarterly increase between October and December.

Just under half of the number of people who are out of work have been unemployed for a year or more.

The figures also reveal the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds is 23.2%, that is up 2.8% across the year.