A report that Derry has the highest rate of unemployment in Britain is “extremely concerning,” the city’s Chamber of Commerce has said.
The Chamber has said while the city is Britain’s unemployment “hot spot,” there is a serious problem across the North West region, pointing out Strabane is the only council area unemployment has risen in the last year.
The Chamber said recent job loss announcements in Limavady and Coleraine demonstrated the need for the Executive and Assembly to take “serious measures” to address unemployment across the North West.
In a statement the Chamber said: “In terms of the actions needed for Derry, they are actually very clear. We need action on two things: infrastructure and skills.
“The infrastructure that is required is, more than anything, a good road network. That means good road connections with both Belfast and Dublin. We also want a continued commitment to the City of Derry Airport and further upgrades to the rail network.
“As for skills, that comes from all parts of our education system. Expanding the University is obviously the most important part of this, not just from the point of view of skills, but also in terms of research outcomes, the attraction of investment and the direct spending that comes out of the presence of a substantially expanded university.
“As well as that, we need the right skills emerging from further education and our post primary schools.”
The statement concluded: “If we are serious about turning around our local economy, there has to be investment in skills and infrastructure. That is the way not just to increase unemployment, but equally important also to increase incomes for those in work.”
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