Committee condemns unemployment risks in West Belfast and Greater Shankill

People in West Belfast and the Greater Shankill area have a 40% unemployment rate—despite the area having only one third of Belfast’s working age population.

This was the message presented today in evidence to the Committee for Employment and Learning at a meeting in the Millennium Outreach Centre.

Chairperson of the Committee, Sue Ramsey MLA said:

“The credit crunch means that everyone worries about unemployment and its effects. However the levels of unemployment in these areas of Belfast are unacceptably high and must be urgently addressed.

“This issue effects lives across the West Belfast and Greater Shankill areas and the committee is resolved to finding out why. It’s intolerable that people are being left behind in education and employment simply because of their postcode”

The Employment Services Board, a community based employment service, presented evidence to the committee on unemployment and economic activity in West Belfast and Greater Shankill Area. Their findings show that despite having only one third of the working age population in Belfast, the area has nearly half of all people on income support, half of all those on Job Seekers’ Allowance and 45% of all those on incapacity benefit.

ENDS