UNEMPLOYMENT HAS risen in Northern Ireland for the third quarter in a row according to the latest Government statistics.

New figures show 36,000 people or 4.4 per cent of the economically active population were out of work during the period November 2007 to January 2008.

Although the unemployment rate has risen modestly since last September, the number of people in work has also increased.

Seasonally adjusted figures suggest there were a record 783,000 employed in Northern Ireland in the three-month period to January 2008.

The unemployment rate in the North during the last quarter was lower than the equivalent UK rate of 5.2 per cent and the Republic's rate of 4.5 per cent in December.

According to the North's Economy Minister, the rise in employment levels is encouraging given the current economic climate.

Nigel Dodds said: "This increase has been achieved in what are very challenging global trading conditions and the continued jobs growth is a testament to the resilience of the Northern Ireland business community. "The success of private sector services in particular has been a key driver in the labour market growth, accounting for some 70 per cent of the annual increase in jobs."

According to Government research the rise in employment figures has been driven by the growth of the service sector in the North which created an additional 2,030 jobs during November 2007 to January 2008.

Certain manufacturing sectors have also boosted employment figures by creating 220 jobs in the same period.

But the slowdown in the construction sector in the North has hit hard with the loss of more than 400 jobs and there is likely to be more cuts in the pipeline.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment said there were 175 confirmed redundancies in February and it has been informed of a further 31 proposed redundancies from mid-February to mid-March.