Manufacturing output in Northern Ireland has fallen by almost twice the UK average, it was disclosed today.
Figures for the first quarter of the year showed a decrease of 11.4 per cent over the same time a year earlier, compared with an average in Britain of just over 6 per cent.
The details were released by the Stormont Enterprise, Trade and Investment minister, Sir Reg Empey, as he revealed a reduction in both the number of unemployed in the province and the numbers claiming benefit last month.
But he said violence on the streets was a hindrance to improvement. "To keep our unemployment rate down and go forward and build a modern economy, we need calm and a return to normality."
The latest labour force survey showed there were 42,000 people unemployed during March-May.
At 5.4 per cent, the figure was lower than six other UK regions and represented a drop of almost 1 per cent over both the quarter and the year.
PA
