The Conservative Party’s economy spokesman for Northern Ireland has warned against “complacency within the Stormont Executive”, as the latest employment figures revealed the province’s economy is still lagging behind the rest of the UK.
“The recovery throughout the UK continues to have an impact In Northern Ireland, thanks to Conservatives’ long-term economic plan, with unemployment down again”, Johnny explained. “However the Stormont Executive is not managing to keep up with other parts of the country, with higher levels of economic activity, particularly among young people. 28% of 16-24 year olds are economically inactive, against a UK average of 22.3%. That’s the highest figure for any region. We’re also seeing continued problems with manufacturing, as companies like Bombardier and JTI lose workers. We’re still not convincing employers that Northern Ireland is really enterprise friendly and open for business.”
“These figures underline the importance of attracting more investment and making Northern Ireland genuinely competitive. That means addressing ongoing problems, like the high costs of energy, off-putting employment laws, a lack of skills that companies need and our byzantine planning system. The imminent devolution of powers to lower Corporation Tax provides an opportunity to give the private sector a real boost in Northern Ireland. However, we won’t fulfil our potential for creating jobs, unless the Executive gets to grips with issues around competitiveness and bureaucracy, which still blight our economy.”