The construction industry is leading jobs growth as Northern Ireland’s claimant count fell by 1,000 in May.
The separate labour force survey (LFS) found the unemployment rate for the province in the three months to April was now 6.1%, higher than the UK average of 5.5%.
There was a slight rise of 0.1% on the previous quarter, but it had declined from 6.9% on the same period last year. The separate claimant count for numbers of people signing on was also down 1,000 over the month of May to 43,400.
Jobs growth was strongest in the construction sector, with jobs up 5.6% in the first quarter of 2015 to 1,620, and up 3.6% on the previous year.