Statistics show that 1,676 people are jobless in Ballymena district

The current unemployed total, for May, stands at 1,676 which is 352 less claimants than the previous month.

Broken down into wards, Dunclug had the the highest total unemployed on 133 (up from 127 the previous month).

Ballee was next highest with its claimant count on 130 (133 in April), followed by Ballykeel on 117 (up one claimant from April).

The ward with the least unemployment as of May this year was Ballyloughan on 24 (27 the previous month).

Province-wide the latest statistics showed that province-wide unemployment is on the rise - again. The two sets of official measures to monitor unemployment showed a rise in people out of work.

According to the Labour Force Survey, unemployment between February and April rose by 0.6% to 7.1%, a figure below the UK average and very slightly down on the same time last year.

However, the number of people claiming benefits in May climbed by 300 to 62,600. The claimant rate of 6.9% is the second highest in the UK.

The Quarterly Employment Survey found there were over 690,000 jobs in March.

This survey, which measures the number of people working, showed a decrease of more than 7,500 jobs in a year. This measure of employment has now decreased in 14 of the last 15 quarters, since its peak in 2008.

Enterprise minister Arlene Foster said: “Whilst it is apparent that wider economic issues are continuing to put pressure on the labour market in Northern Ireland, our current unemployment rate of 7.1% still compares favourably to the equivalent rates for the UK (8.2%), and Republic of Ireland (14.5%).”