Wilson Nesbitt - Solicitors

The number of people claiming unemployment benefit in Northern Ireland reached 59,000 last month, making it the highest rate of unemployment in the province for 13 years.

Economists are predicting that even more people will lose their job before we start to see any stabilisation and growth again, as redundancies are expected once government cuts take effect. In the private sector, it is anticipated that businesses will similarly find themselves having to initiate redundancy processes as higher taxes and interest rates take effect, curbing public spending and increasing the cost of operation.

Northern Ireland continues to be the worst effected area of the whole UK, with a 6% increase in unemployment over the last year. As is the case across the whole of the UK, young people in particular are suffering as a result of the lower employment levels, with one in five people aged between 18 and 24 currently unemployed. There situation will become even worse in just a few months time when a new batch of university graduates enter the employment market.

If you are an employer or employee requiring legal advice in respect of a redundancy process, or on a matter of unfair dismissal or discrimination in the workplace, contact Wilson Nesbitt solicitors in Belfast by email at employment@wilson-nesbitt.com .