THE OFFICIAL youth unemployment rate soared to 19.1 per cent in Northern Ireland in the three months to September as the total number of young people out of work across the UK hit a record high of more than one million.

Official labour market statistics show the scale of the UK’s youth unemployment problem is at its worst level in 23 years.

In the North the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds now far outstrips Northern Ireland’s average unemployment rate of 7.3 per cent for the months July to September.

The total number of people out of work in the North during the quarter was estimated to be 63,000 – this suggests dole queues fell by 1,000 people over the quarter but rose by 4,000 annually.

In Britain as a whole unemployment continued to rise in the three months to September. A further 129,000 people joined the jobless ranks bringing the overall number out of work to a high of 2.62 million people.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said while Northern Ireland’s jobless rate at 7.3 per cent remains “well below” the equivalent rates for the UK (8.3 per cent) EU (9.5 per cent and Republic of Ireland (14.6 per cent) she is keenly aware this is of little consolation for people looking for work.

“There is an immediate need to maximise employment opportunities for those currently out of work across as wide a range of sectors as possible.

“Through the Jobs Fund some 400 jobs have already been announced and projects intending to create a further 1,300 jobs have been approved, providing welcome opportunities for employment,” she said.

Latest statistics however show that there was a further jump in the numbers claiming jobless benefits in the North last month.

The local claimant count rose to 60,700 or 6.9 per cent of the workforce in October while in the UK overall it rose to 1.6 million.