NI redundancies up by a third from 2017

There has been a marked rise in redundancies in Northern Ireland over the past year, according to job market figures.

The number of confirmed lay-offs at 2,741 represents a 33% rise on the previous 12 months.

About 40% of them (1,119) were in the manufacturing sector.

Data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) also registered an increase in unemployment.

The number of people claiming jobless-related benefits rose by 400 in October, taking the total to 29,500.

Unfavourable data

The unemployment rate of 4.1% is in line with the UK average.

The figures also include other unfavourable labour market data, including a jump in economic inactivity to 28.5%.

The number of people in employment, at 834,000, represents a decrease of 11,000 in the quarter between July and September.

The employment rate of 68.5% remains the lowest of the 12 regions of the UK.