Unemployment in Northern Ireland - the big white Elephant in the room

[Wildweasel74]

Watching BBC Newsline there, they are happy as Larry (not Reilly) that unemployment in the north has fallen for 9 months running. To them this is a sign that Northern Ireland is coming out of a recession.
With a brother now working in England and the other in Dublin,and some friends now in England, Germany and New Zealand, is this reduction not more a sign of young people moving aboard due to lack of work and not the supposed increase in work up here. Its all about statistics and how u use them to give a false image

A case of smoking mirrors i doubt

[Apparently so]

Aye, those figures of employed are also being swelled by all the folk who are being put on these schemes and courses through the dole. Doing full time work for your dole money and then nothing gained at the end of it. There is still very little work out there and I don't think it is going to get any better for a long, long time. This place is a dead end - youngsters should be looking at going abroad as soon as possible imo

[armaghniac]

There is unemployment and there is a numbers employed, the latter is the true test.

[Kidder81]

There are as many of the unemployed that don't want to work as those that do.

[lawnseed]

there's very little work around right now. this is in evidence in the numbers of lads doing the hgv test to go long distance driving. the last time the numbers were this high was in the early 80's. its bad.. I know a registered builder who's heading to Canada after xmas he's never been out of Ireland before (55years old). imo this is the tightest time I have lived through. Armagh is particularly hard hit there just seems to be nothing happening on the jobs scene. there's definitely more around Belfast but the wages are so poor that it wouldn't pay you to travel there.
one thing I noticed and its not a bad thing there were near enough no fireworks this year. no too many wanting to fire their money up into the sky

[Syferus]

Everything's deadly down south, Lawny. Did get a spot of rain today, though.

[T Fearon]

Unemployment down,house prices rising on a monthly basis,town centre vacancies reducing everywhere except Ballymena.Need I go on? We're living in boom times again .

Ps Going to a business breakfast in Belfast this morning,to listen to Simon Hamilton talking shite!

[Cold tea]

there's very little work around right now. this is in evidence in the numbers of lads doing the hgv test to go long distance driving. the last time the numbers were this high was in the early 80's. its bad.. I know a registered builder who's heading to Canada after xmas he's never been out of Ireland before (55years old). imo this is the tightest time I have lived through. Armagh is particularly hard hit there just seems to be nothing happening on the jobs scene. there's definitely more around Belfast but the wages are so poor that it wouldn't pay you to travel there.
one thing I noticed and its not a bad thing there were near enough no fireworks this year. no too many wanting to fire their money up into the sky

What's new there, there was never any work in Armagh, half the town ships out to Belfast daily.

[LeoMc]

And yet when 600 temporary jobs are created in H&W they have to go to Briain and Europe to fill the posts.

[trueblue1234]

And yet when 600 temporary jobs are created in H&W they have to go to Briain and Europe to fill the posts.

NI has an shortage of skilled Mechanical engineering workers. It and the Agri Food businesses are the two areas that are really triving in NI at the minute.

[Cold tea]

bigfella must be hiring in his expanding business, that would drastically reduce unemployment with the empire he has.  Make sure anyone applying though get a linkedin account up and running, because he won't look at you otherwise, spread the word.

[bailestil]

Same in IT.
Most companies are struggling to fill posts.

[blewuporstuffed]

Same in IT.
Most companies are struggling to fill posts.

The problem in this country is that wages for people in IT & engineering are relatively low compared with other countries (that may be part of the reason for the increase in work in those sectors here in the first place)

[bailestil]

The problem in this country is that wages for people in IT & engineering are relatively low compared with other countries (that may be part of the reason for the increase in work in those sectors here in the first place)

Yeah that's gonna be the main reason most Multi-Nationals are here.
When i see the hours people put in to becoming a chartered accountant or solicitor.
If you put the same hours into becoming competent in a required IT Skill you'd be earning much more money quicker.

Think NI may still have this hang up on Law and Accountancy as the only route to "professional career". Think i also read somewhere about the huge oversupply of law graduates in NI.

[thebigfella]

bigfella must be hiring in his expanding business, that would drastically reduce unemployment with the empire he has.  Make sure anyone applying though get a linkedin account up and running, because he won't look at you otherwise, spread the word.