Unemployment rates in Northern Ireland are now the lowest in the UK, it was revealed today.
Seasonally adjusted figures showed the number of people out of work between April and June dropped to a record low of 3.7 per cent.
That was down from the 4.2 per cent recorded for both the previous quarter and the same period last year.
With the latest Northern Ireland rate still well below the UK average of 5.4 per cent, the British Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) said it was now the lowest of all regions.
The quarterly figures also indicated there were 780,000 people in employment in Northern Ireland. That represents a rise of 0.4 per cent in employment levels in three months and a 1.5 per cent increase over the year.
During the past month, the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits decreased by 500, DETI said.
The latest seasonally adjusted claimant count figure now stands at 23,700, down 4,000 over the year.
But working age economic inactivity rates in the province (26.7 per cent) rose slightly from the previous quarter (26.4 per cent).
The Northern Ireland rate remains significantly higher than the UK average (21.2 per cent) and is the highest among the UK regions.