Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Dole queues double during Covid-19 fight
Lockdown’s impact on Ulster jobs 3,000
Consumer confidence in Northern Ireland fell sharply in the first quarter of the year, according to Danske Bank. Nearly a third of people surveyed in its consumer confidence survey said their finances have deteriorated over the past year while 36% expect their financial position of worsen in the next year.
THE first official insight into the health of Northern Ireland’s jobs market has seen a doubling in the length of the dole queue as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Although an increase in the claimant count was widely expected, the scale and speed of the jump has brought home the devastating impact lockdown has had on livelihoods across the country. April saw a total of
56,200 people claim Jobseekers
Allowance, more than twice the 26,500 reported in March.
Andrew Webb, chief economist at Grant Thornton said the data has brought home the impact of the pandemic on the labour market.
He added: “The claimant count figures, which have almost doubled, are a dramatic realisation of what we feared the impact of Covid-19 would be on the economy.
“While not wholly unsurprising, the immediacy and scale of the increase in claimants is shocking and does raise serious concerns around the fundamental strength of the labour market and how well the economy can bounce back, especially as job retention and business support schemes are scaled back.” There were some signs the government’s job retention scheme was having some impact with just 117 redundancies in April, but there were also 783 proposed redundancies.
Companies are required to have a consultancy period between proposing and enacting a redundancy.
Mr Webb added: “A weaker labour market reduces demand in the economy and reduces wider economic confidence.
“It is increasingly likely the much hoped for immediate bounce back in economic performance after the lockdown will be a longer and slower climb.”
WITH the hospitality sector largely on pause, Henderson Foodservice has diversified its operations.
The move comes as a bid to support a r range of community programmes.
It has seen its healthcare business increase as it helps keep staff, patients and residents fed in hospitals, hospices and hundreds of care homes across Northern Ireland.
Initiatives include the Department for Communities-led contract to supply over 3,000 food boxes per week for delivery to vulnerable and selfisolating people until the end of June as well as providing a range of products for Salvation Army created food parcels and welcome packs for people in need via the Simon Community.
food boxes are being delivered by the firm every week