Employment across all regions in the Republic fell further during pandemic but recovered faster than in Northern Ireland shows Ulster University & DCU employment data dashboard
The first interactive dashboard providing economic data on Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has been published today as part of a joint research project by Ulster University’s Economic Policy Centre & Dublin City University.
Making Northern Ireland easily comparable to sub-regions in Ireland, the dashboard provides the latest data on employment rates, economic inactivity, hours worked, occupations and qualifications in Northern Ireland and the Southern, Northern & Western, and Eastern & Midlands regions of the Republic of Ireland.
Comparing labour market data has previously been challenging due to differences in qualification frameworks and the way the information is recorded in the two jurisdictions. The collaboration, supported by the Ireland Funds at Dublin City University and Ulster University Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC), has made comparable data available in the form of interactive dashboards that will be regularly updated. This research provides simple access to reliable and comparable economic data on a North South basis to policymakers, civil society and business groups.
View the All-Island Economic Intelligence dashboard here.
Key 大发体育在线_大发体育-投注|官网ings from the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre
Employment
- Experiencing a deeper and more prolonged recession after 2008, employment rates in the Republic of Ireland in 2012 were at a much lower base than NI; however the employment rate has increased by almost 16 percentage points in the Northern & Western region between 2012-2024 compared to just 5 percentage points in NI. The same pattern re-emerged following the recent Covid-19 pandemic where ROI employment rates fell further yet recovered faster.
- Comparing by age profiles, the employment rate among under 35’s is largely similar across the regions, with NI (78.4%) ranking second out of the four regions. However, the 35-49 category, which is the prime working age cohort and has the biggest impact on the labour market, is marginally lower in NI (83.9% in NI vs 85.4% in the Northern & Western region). Although the 50-64 category is relatively smaller, ROI has managed to capitalise on growth in employment rates (74% in the Eastern & Midlands region vs 66% in NI). The 50-64 year-old category accounts for circa 1/3 of the 20-64 workforce, but a higher proportion of the general population, particularly in NI.
Employment type
- Part-time work is more prevalent in NI (22% in NI vs 16-20% across ROI), with further analysis required in future to uncover the reasons behind this.
- Despite that, there are lower incidences of temporary work in NI (4%) compared to ROI (6-7%).
Economic inactivity
- In 2012, economic inactivity in the Republic of Ireland was at a similar or higher rate than that of Northern Ireland. Since then, however, the Eastern & Midlands region has experienced an 8.5 percentage point decline, whereas Northern Ireland has been unable to shift the dial on economic inactivity, with figures remaining stubbornly high at approximately 22% compared to 15-18% across ROI regions.
- The main reason behind this decline in inactivity in ROI has been the rising female participation in the labour market, as less women are now economically inactive due to looking after the family home. As NI already had a higher rate of female employment, it has not experienced this decline to the same extent. Across all ROI regions there has been a decline of more than 10 percentage points in economic inactivity in the 50-64 category since 2012 as older workers continue to remain engaged with the labour market.
- The largest difference in the inactivity figures relates to long-term sickness, which sits at 56% in NI vs 39% in the Southern region in the 35-49 year-old category. Some 43% of female inactivity is due to long-term sick in NI, compared to 24-30% across ROI regions.
Qualifications
- In the overall picture in NI, 30% of people have degree level qualifications or higher, compared to 42% in the Northern & Western region of the Republic.
- Of those in employment, 35% have Level 6+ (degree level or higher) qualifications in NI compared to just under 54% in the Eastern & Midlands regions. In ROI this is particularly driven by a larger share of under 50s having higher qualifications. In ROI the proportion of workers aged 50+ with a degree level qualification and above is similar to the proportion with a degree aged under 50 in NI, pointing to the need for further upskilling and reskilling in Northern Ireland.
Hours worked
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NI has a marginally higher number of actual hours worked compared to other regions, however a lower employment rate in Northern Ireland leads to proportionately fewer total hours worked.
John Doyle, Vice President for Research, Dublin City University said:
“The recent programme for Government in the Republic of Ireland highlighted the need for investment in making economic and statistical data comparable on a North South basis on the island. This first step, from Dublin City University and Ulster University will allow other researchers to incorporate island-wide perspectives into their work, without the costs and the delays which would have been required until today. We have a long way to go until such North South comparisons become routine, but this project shows that it can be done in a manner which allows the data to be published with confidence that appropriate comparisons are being made. We hope that support will now be available to complete this work on other economic and social indicators.”
Marguerite Shannon, Senior Economist, Ulster University Economic Policy Centre said:
“We are pleased to bring the All-Island Economic Intelligence dashboard to publication and are grateful to our colleagues at DCU & the Ireland Funds, for their work and support in this. The data uncovers some useful insights among demographic groups across the island, how the Republic has managed to tackle economic inactivity in part driven by increasing female participation, and the need for further upskilling and reskilling in Northern Ireland.
“Until now, varied data sources on the two economies have led to challenging comparisons, positioning Northern Ireland to be compared with only a full view of the Republic of Ireland’s economy. The use of regional data allows for a more nuanced approach when comparing Northern Ireland with the rest of the Republic, dispelling some of the myths about our economic performance locally. These insights provide a much clearer picture of two neighbouring economies and a valuable resource for policymakers, business groups and wider society across Northern Ireland and the Republic.”