A Northern Ireland-based research project led by Glen Dimplex, the electrical heating company, has created 37 "advanced manufacturing jobs", the North's Minister of Enterprise has announced.

The jobs are at the Portadown Glen Dimplex subsidiary Seagoe Technologies, which has developed a new heat-storage system.

Arlene Foster says the jobs could deliver an additional £500,000 annually in salaries into the local economy. Glen Dimplex invested £2 million in the project, which also received £352,000 in finan- cial support from Invest NI.

Meanwhile, new research from the Department of Employment and the Department of Enterprise confirms that Northern Ireland’s “economic inactivity” rate is 27.4 per cent of the working age population.