According to a recent BBC report, manufacturing in Northern Ireland has received a boost with 282 new jobs, following an announcement by Invest NI that businesses working in food, pharmaceuticals and transport equipment were spending a combined £22 million on expansion projects.

This follows calls for a strategy to help manufacturing after job losses at the likes of Bombardier and JTI Gallaher.

Stephen Kelly, the chief executive of Manufacturing NI, said the new jobs were encouraging news, adding that employment in the sector now stands at almost 82,000.

Invest NI said the posts, being created by 30 firms, would generate £6.3 million in salaries for the local economy.

The announcement came as new figures showed that unemployment in Northern Ireland is continuing to fall; in May, the jobless total fell by 300 to 31,200 — down for a 14th consecutive month.

However, official figures showed a continued rise in the long-term problem of economic inactivity, which reflects the number of people neither in work, nor looking for a job.