§ 9. Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the economy in Northern Ireland. [167668]
§ Mr. GardinerThe Northern Ireland economy has performed well in recent years as demonstrated by the performance of the labour market. The latest employee jobs figures indicate there are now 672,150 employees in employment, the highest figure on record. The current unemployment rate of 5.2 per cent. compares well to the EU average of 8.0 per cent. There has also been significant progress in terms of manufacturing productivity, which increased by 9.5 per cent. over the last year, and manufacturing output also experienced an increase over the same period (2.2 per cent.).
Despite the good recent economic performance Government recognise the need for the Northern Ireland economy to become more competitive in the global market place and is committed to creating a more innovative and entrepreneurial economy.