All tables associated with this report can be downloaded from the NISRA website.

1. Overview

1.1 Key points

The number of employees receiving pay through HMRC PAYE in NI in April 2026 was 818,100, a decrease of 0.1% over the month and an increase of 1.0% over the year.

Employment section 3.3
Earnings from HMRC PAYE indicated that NI employees had a median monthly pay of £2,467 in April 2026, an increase of £10 (0.4%) over the month and an increase of £76 (3.2%) over the year.

Employment section 3.4
In April 2026, the seasonally adjusted number of people on the claimant count was 35,600 (3.5% of the workforce), an increase of 1.7% from the previous month’s revised figure. The April 2026 claimant count remains 19.3% higher than the pre-pandemic count in March 2020.

Unemployment section 2.2
NISRA, acting on behalf of the Department for the Economy, received confirmation that 70 redundancies occurred in April 2026. Over the year, May 2025 to April 2026, 2,350 redundancies were confirmed. There were 550 proposed redundancies in April 2026, taking the annual total to 3,310.

Unemployment section 2.3
The latest NI seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (the proportion of economically active people aged 16 and over who were unemployed) for the period January-March 2026 was estimated from the Labour Force Survey at 2.1%. This represents a decrease of 0.1 percentage points (pps) over the quarter and an increase of 0.5pps over the year.

Unemployment section 2.1
Line chart of seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (Age 16 and over) in NI. More detail on the trends is included in the text directly beside the charts and later in the report.
The proportion of people aged 16 to 64 in work (the employment rate) increased by 0.3pps over the quarter and increased by 0.6pps over the year to 72.1%.

Employment section 3.1
Line chart of seasonally adjusted employment rate (Aged 16 to 64) in NI. More detail on the trends is included in the text directly beside the charts and later in the report.
The economic inactivity rate (the proportion of people aged 16 to 64 who were not working and not seeking or available to work) decreased by 0.2pps over the quarter and decreased by 1.0pps over the year to 26.3%.

Economic inactivity section 4.1
Line chart of seasonally adjusted economic inactivity rates (Aged 16 to 64) in NI. More detail on the trends is included in the text directly beside the charts and later in the report.
The total number of weekly hours worked in NI was estimated at 29.4 million hours, a decrease of 0.8% on the previous quarter and a decrease of 1.8% on the equivalent period last year.

Employment section 3.2

1.2 Commentary

The latest labour market data indicates that Northern Ireland’s labour market continues to lose momentum. Although there was an increase in payrolled employee numbers from the HMRC payroll data over the year, this increase was relatively small.There were no statistically significant changes reported from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) over either the quarter or the year, again indicating a relatively steady state in the labour market.

The latest HMRC payroll data shows that the number of payrolled employees decreased by 0.1% over the month and increased by 1.0% over the year. Payrolled earnings increased by 0.4% over the month and were 3.2% higher than April 2025.

Households reported, via the Labour Force Survey (LFS), over the year to January-March 2026, increases in both the employment rate (by 0.6pps to 72.1%) and the unemployment rate (by 0.5pps to 2.1%), as well as a decrease in the economic inactivity rate by 1.0pps to 26.3%. None of these annual changes were statistically significant.

The total number of hours worked in January-March 2026 decreased by 1.8% over the year, to 29.4 million hours per week. This is the same as the pre-pandemic figure recorded in October-December 2019 and is 1.8% below the highest level recorded in this time series (30.0 million hours per week, in April-June 2019).

In April 2026, the Department was notified of 70 confirmed redundancies, bringing the rolling twelve-month total of confirmed redundancies to 2,350, which was around a third higher than the figure for the previous year (1,790). There were also 550 proposed redundancies notified to the Department in April 2026. The annual total of proposed redundancies was 3,310, around eight percent above the figure for the previous year (3,070) and the highest twelve-month total of proposed redundancies reported since May 2024. Despite this, both the twelve-month totals of proposed and confirmed redundancies remain similar to the levels seen in the decade preceding the pandemic.

Finally, there was an increase of 1.7% in the claimant count estimate over the month to April 2026 from the revised figure for March 2026, and a decrease of 7.2% over the year. The claimant count rate for April 2026 increased by 0.1 percentage points, to 3.5%, from the revised rate for March 2026. This is the ninth consecutive month that the claimant count rate has been in the range 3.4% to 3.5%.

1.3 Things users need to know

Labour Market Statistics – Transformation in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) is currently in the process of transforming the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and associated labour market statistics for Northern Ireland. This work is being advanced alongside work by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to transform the LFS in Great Britain.

The latest update on the transformation in NI can be found in the Labour Market Statistics update - November 2025 published on the 14th November 2025.

Previous updates can be found at Labour Force Survey Transformation.

If, on reading the information paper and associated documentation, you have any queries regarding NISRA’s work in this space we would love to hear from you. All queries should be sent to: Labourmarketstatistics@nisra.gov.uk.

UK Labour Force Survey Guidance

Estimates for the UK from January to March 2025 include the full effect of the improvements in LFS data collection and sampling methods introduced from January 2024 onwards. Caution should be taken when drawing conclusions from short-term changes; ONS advise users to focus on long term movements in the data. Some volatility remains particularly for estimates for mid-2023 and throughout 2024, and for granular breakdowns, where sample sizes are smaller.

These are official statistics in development. ONS recommend using LFS estimates as part of their suite of labour market indicators, alongside Workforce Jobs, Claimant Count and Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI) estimates.

1.4 Context

The Labour Market Report is a monthly overview of key labour market statistics for NI.

The Use of Economic and Labour Market Business and Household Surveys page provides recent examples of how data collected from the Labour Force Survey is used to inform, develop and monitor evidence-based policies. A Labour Market Outputs consultation in summer 2019 (Labour Market Statistics User Engagement page) showed labour market statistics are also used in academic and private sector research. Significant non-governmental users of labour market statistics include the media, banks, academics, private consultants, and the general public. User requested analysis is published on the NISRA website.


2. Unemployment

2.1 Labour Force Survey unemployment

LFS unemployment: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) defines unemployed as those aged 16 and over without a job who were able to start work in the two weeks following their LFS interview and had either looked for work in the four weeks prior to interview or were waiting to start a job they had already obtained.

Key findings

  • The NI unemployment rate for January-March 2026 decreased over the quarter and increased over the year to 2.1%.
  • The most recent UK unemployment rate for January-March 2026 was estimated at 5.0%.

Figure 1: The latest NI unemployment rate increased over the year

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (Age 16 and over), Jan-Mar 2011 to Jan-Mar 2026
Chart
Table
Date Northern Ireland United Kingdom
Jan-Mar 2011 7.3 7.8
Apr-Jun 2011 7.3 7.9
Jul-Sep 2011 7.3 8.3
Oct-Dec 2011 7.0 8.4
Jan-Mar 2012 6.7 8.2
Apr-Jun 2012 7.7 8.0
Jul-Sep 2012 7.7 7.8
Oct-Dec 2012 7.6 7.8
Jan-Mar 2013 8.0 7.8
Apr-Jun 2013 7.3 7.7
Jul-Sep 2013 7.4 7.6
Oct-Dec 2013 7.3 7.2
Jan-Mar 2014 7.1 6.7
Apr-Jun 2014 6.5 6.3
Jul-Sep 2014 6.2 6.0
Oct-Dec 2014 5.8 5.7
Jan-Mar 2015 6.2 5.5
Apr-Jun 2015 6.3 5.6
Jul-Sep 2015 6.0 5.3
Oct-Dec 2015 5.9 5.1
Jan-Mar 2016 6.1 5.1
Apr-Jun 2016 5.8 4.9
Jul-Sep 2016 5.6 4.8
Oct-Dec 2016 5.4 4.7
Jan-Mar 2017 5.3 4.6
Apr-Jun 2017 5.1 4.4
Jul-Sep 2017 4.0 4.3
Oct-Dec 2017 4.1 4.4
Jan-Mar 2018 3.0 4.2
Apr-Jun 2018 3.7 4.0
Jul-Sep 2018 3.8 4.1
Oct-Dec 2018 3.8 4.0
Jan-Mar 2019 2.9 3.8
Apr-Jun 2019 3.0 3.9
Jul-Sep 2019 2.5 3.9
Oct-Dec 2019 2.4 3.7
Jan-Mar 2020 2.6 4.1
Apr-Jun 2020 2.9 4.1
Jul-Sep 2020 3.6 5.0
Oct-Dec 2020 4.0 5.3
Jan-Mar 2021 3.9 4.9
Apr-Jun 2021 4.2 4.7
Jul-Sep 2021 4.3 4.4
Oct-Dec 2021 3.2 4.2
Jan-Mar 2022 2.6 3.8
Apr-Jun 2022 2.8 3.8
Jul-Sep 2022 3.1 3.7
Oct-Dec 2022 2.4 3.9
Jan-Mar 2023 2.3 4.0
Apr-Jun 2023 2.4 4.2
Jul-Sep 2023 2.0 4.1
Oct-Dec 2023 2.4 3.9
Jan-Mar 2024 2.1 4.3
Apr-Jun 2024 1.8 4.2
Jul-Sep 2024 1.8 4.3
Oct-Dec 2024 1.6 4.4
Jan-Mar 2025 1.6 4.5
Apr-Jun 2025 2.4 4.7
Jul-Sep 2025 2.4 5.0
Oct-Dec 2025 2.2 5.2
Jan-Mar 2026 2.1 5.0


Figure 1 shows the unemployment rates for NI and the UK over the last 15 years. During this period, the UK unemployment rate peaked at 8.4% in late 2011, while the NI unemployment rate peaked at 8.0% in early 2013. Following these peaks, both unemployment rates showed a downward trend until the end of 2019. After rises during the early part of the pandemic, both rates then decreased. Over the most recent year to January-March 2026, both the NI and UK unemployment rates have increased by 0.5pps, to 2.1% and 5.0% respectively.

The NI unemployment rate (age 16 and over) for the period January-March 2026 was estimated at 2.1%. This was:

  • a decrease of 0.1pps over the quarter (not statistically significant); and
  • an increase of 0.5pps over the year (not statistically significant).

The number of unemployed people (age 16 and over) in NI was estimated at 19,000, which was:

  • down 1,000 over the quarter; and
  • up 4,000 from the same period last year.

UK regional comparison:

  • The NI unemployment rate (age 16 and over) of 2.1% was 2.9pps below the most recent UK rate of 5.0%; and
  • the lowest of the twelve UK regions.

2.2 Claimant count (experimental)

Claimant Count (experimental) consists of all people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) plus those Universal Credit (UC) claimants who were claiming principally for the reason of being unemployed. Some claimants are wholly unemployed and seeking work, while others may be employed but with low earnings that make them eligible for unemployment related benefit support.

Key findings

  • Over the month to April 2026, the NI claimant count increased by 1.7% to 35,600.
  • In April 2026, 3.5% of the NI workforce were recorded on the claimant count, a decrease over the year (from 3.8%).

Figure 2: Seasonally adjusted claimant count rate remains reasonably stable over the month

NI seasonally adjusted claimant count (experimental) monthly rates, April 2011 to April 2026
Chart

Note: graph has a non-zero axis

Table
Date Undercount Rate
Apr 2011 6.5
May 2011 6.5
Jun 2011 6.6
Jul 2011 6.7
Aug 2011 6.7
Sep 2011 6.7
Oct 2011 6.7
Nov 2011 6.7
Dec 2011 6.7
Jan 2012 6.9
Feb 2012 6.9
Mar 2012 6.9
Apr 2012 7.0
May 2012 7.0
Jun 2012 7.1
Jul 2012 7.2
Aug 2012 7.1
Sep 2012 7.2
Oct 2012 7.2
Nov 2012 7.2
Dec 2012 7.3
Jan 2013 7.2
Feb 2013 7.2
Mar 2013 7.2
Apr 2013 7.2
May 2013 7.1
Jun 2013 7.0
Jul 2013 7.0
Aug 2013 7.0
Sep 2013 6.9
Oct 2013 6.8
Nov 2013 6.7
Dec 2013 6.6
Jan 2014 6.5
Feb 2014 6.4
Mar 2014 6.3
Apr 2014 6.2
May 2014 6.1
Jun 2014 6.0
Jul 2014 5.8
Aug 2014 5.8
Sep 2014 5.8
Oct 2014 5.7
Nov 2014 5.6
Dec 2014 5.5
Jan 2015 5.4
Feb 2015 5.2
Mar 2015 5.0
Apr 2015 4.9
May 2015 4.8
Jun 2015 4.8
Jul 2015 4.7
Aug 2015 4.6
Sep 2015 4.5
Oct 2015 4.4
Nov 2015 4.4
Dec 2015 4.3
Jan 2016 4.2
Feb 2016 4.2
Mar 2016 4.2
Apr 2016 4.1
May 2016 4.0
Jun 2016 4.0
Jul 2016 3.9
Aug 2016 3.8
Sep 2016 3.8
Oct 2016 3.7
Nov 2016 3.6
Dec 2016 3.6
Jan 2017 3.5
Feb 2017 3.5
Mar 2017 3.4
Apr 2017 3.4
May 2017 3.4
Jun 2017 3.3
Jul 2017 3.3
Aug 2017 3.3
Sep 2017 3.2
Oct 2017 3.2
Nov 2017 3.1
Dec 2017 3.2
Jan 2018 3.1
Feb 2018 3.2
Mar 2018 3.1
Apr 2018 3.1
May 2018 3.1
Jun 2018 3.1
Jul 2018 3.0
Aug 2018 3.0
Sep 2018 3.1
Oct 2018 3.1
Nov 2018 3.2
Dec 2018 3.2
Jan 2019 3.1
Feb 2019 3.1
Mar 2019 3.1
Apr 2019 3.1
May 2019 3.1
Jun 2019 3.1
Jul 2019 3.1
Aug 2019 3.0
Sep 2019 3.1
Oct 2019 3.2
Nov 2019 3.2
Dec 2019 3.2
Jan 2020 3.0
Feb 2020 3.0
Mar 2020 3.0
Apr 2020 5.7
May 2020 6.5
Jun 2020 6.3
Jul 2020 6.3
Aug 2020 6.3
Sep 2020 6.1
Oct 2020 6.0
Nov 2020 6.0
Dec 2020 5.9
Jan 2021 5.9
Feb 2021 6.1
Mar 2021 6.0
Apr 2021 5.9
May 2021 5.7
Jun 2021 5.4
Jul 2021 5.3
Aug 2021 5.1
Sep 2021 5.0
Oct 2021 4.8
Nov 2021 4.6
Dec 2021 4.4
Jan 2022 4.1
Feb 2022 4.0
Mar 2022 3.9
Apr 2022 3.8
May 2022 3.7
Jun 2022 3.7
Jul 2022 3.7
Aug 2022 3.6
Sep 2022 3.6
Oct 2022 3.6
Nov 2022 3.7
Dec 2022 3.7
Jan 2023 3.6
Feb 2023 3.6
Mar 2023 3.7
Apr 2023 3.8
May 2023 3.7
Jun 2023 3.7
Jul 2023 3.7
Aug 2023 3.7
Sep 2023 3.7
Oct 2023 3.6
Nov 2023 3.6
Dec 2023 3.6
Jan 2024 3.5
Feb 2024 3.5
Mar 2024 3.6
Apr 2024 3.6
May 2024 3.7
Jun 2024 3.8
Jul 2024 4.0
Aug 2024 4.0
Sep 2024 4.0
Oct 2024 4.0
Nov 2024 4.0
Dec 2024 3.9
Jan 2025 3.8
Feb 2025 3.9
Mar 2025 3.8
Apr 2025 3.8
May 2025 3.7
Jun 2025 3.7
Jul 2025 3.6
Aug 2025 3.5
Sep 2025 3.5
Oct 2025 3.5
Nov 2025 3.5
Dec 2025 3.4
Jan 2026 3.5
Feb 2026 3.4
Mar 2026 3.4
Apr 2026 3.5


In April 2026, 35,600 people were recorded on the NI Claimant Count. This is 44.5% less than the recent peak in May 2020 and 19.3% more than the pre-pandemic count in March 2020.

The increases in the claimant count between March 2020 and May 2020 can largely be attributed to the increase in the numbers of people becoming unemployed or having their hours reduced due to COVID, resulting in very low earnings below the administrative earnings threshold. The increases seen between May 2024 and September 2024 are largely due to the increase in the administrative earnings threshold for Universal Credit. More information on this change can be found in the Press Statement released by the Department for Work and Pensions on 13 May 2024.

The NI seasonally adjusted claimant count was 35,600 (3.5% of the workforce) in April 2026, representing:

  • an increase of 600 (1.7%) over the month
  • a decrease of 2,800 (7.2%) over the year, and
  • an increase of 5,800 (19.3%) since March 2020.

Changes by sex:

  • an increase of 1.5% in males and an increase of 1.9% in females over the month, and
  • a decrease of 7.0% in males and a decrease of 7.4% in females over the year.

Changes by age:

  • Over the year, there has been a 4.4% increase in claimants aged 16 to 24, with a 7.2% decrease in claimants aged 25 to 49, and a decrease of 12.9% for those aged 50 and over.
  • Compared to the pre-pandemic counts in March 2020, there was a decrease in the number of claimants in the 16-24 age-band (0.3%), with increases in the 25 to 49 age-band (31.6%) and the 50 and over age-band (2.5%).

Changes by Local Government District:

  • Over the year, there have been decreases for all Local Government Districts, with the largest decreases seen in Fermanagh and Omagh (17.8%) and Derry City and Strabane (13.6%).

UK regional comparison:

  • The UK seasonally adjusted claimant count increased by 1.6% over the month to 1,698,900 (4.4% of the workforce).
  • The UK count is 37.0% below the recent peak in August 2020 and 38.1% above the pre-pandemic count in March 2020.

2.3 Redundancies

Redundancies: Companies must inform the Department of (a) impending redundancies of 20 or more employees and (b) subsequent confirmed redundancies. Since all proposed redundancies do not actually take place, the confirmed total provides a better indication of real job losses.

Key findings

  • 70 redundancies were confirmed in April 2026, taking the annual total to 2,350, which was around one third higher than the figure for the previous year (1,790).
  • There were 550 proposed redundancies in April 2026, taking the annual total to 3,310, which was nearly eight percent more than the previous year (3,070).

Figure 3: Latest annual total of confirmed redundancies higher than previous year

NI confirmed and proposed redundancies, Annual totals, May 2010-Apr 2011 to May 2025-Apr 2026
Chart
Table
Year Proposed Confirmed
2010/11 2,440 1,770
2011/12 3,250 2,010
2012/13 3,310 3,450
2013/14 3,030 2,110
2014/15 3,810 1,890
2015/16 4,470 2,600
2016/17 3,410 3,050
2017/18 3,410 2,070
2018/19 3,450 2,110
2019/20 4,590 3,110
2020/21 9,350 5,790
2021/22 2,210 1,810
2022/23 2,090 1,160
2023/24 4,010 2,430
2024/25 3,070 1,790
2025/26 3,310 2,350


Redundancy notification data generally shows a high degree of correlation between proposed and confirmed redundancies when grouped by year. The graph above shows that, generally the number of proposed redundancies is higher than confirmed redundancies, indicating that not all proposed redundancies take place.

The April 2026 total of confirmed redundancies (70) was lower than the monthly average for 2025 (190). The rolling twelve-month total (2,350) is similar to totals previously reported in the year to date.

The number of proposed redundancies in April 2026 (550) was two and a half times the monthly average for 2025 (220). The rolling twelve-month total of proposed redundancies was 3,310, the highest twelve-month total reported since May 2024.

Confirmed redundancies

During April 2026, the Department was notified of:

  • 70 confirmed redundancies, lower than the monthly average for 2025 (190).

Over the last twelve months, to the end of April 2026, there were:

  • 2,350 confirmed redundancies, around one third higher than the figure for the previous year (1,790).
  • 690 confirmed redundancies (29.1%) in the manufacturing sector.
  • 470 confirmed redundancies (19.8%) in the education sector.
  • 330 confirmed redundancies (13.8%) in the information and communication sector.

Proposed redundancies

During April 2026, the Department was notified of:

  • 550 proposed redundancies, two and a half times the monthly average for 2025 (220).

Over the last twelve months, to the end of April 2026, there were:

  • 3,310 proposed redundancies, which was nearly eight percent more than the figure for the previous year (3,070).
  • 1,080 proposed redundancies (32.6%) in the manufacturing sector.
  • 260 proposed redundancies (7.9%) in the information and communication sector.
  • 170 proposed redundancies (5.2%) in the financial and insurance activities sector.


3. Employment

3.1 LFS employment

LFS employed: people aged 16 or over who did at least one hour of paid work in the reference week (whether as an employee or self-employed); those who had a paid job that they were temporarily away from; those on government-supported training and employee programmes and those doing unpaid family work.

Key findings

  • The NI employment rate for January-March 2026 increased over both the quarter and year to 72.1%.
  • The most recent UK employment rate for January-March 2026 was estimated at 75.0%.

Figure 4: The NI employment rate has been consistently below the UK rate over the last 15 years

Seasonally adjusted employment rate (Aged 16 to 64), Jan-Mar 2011 to Jan-Mar 2026
Chart

Note: graph has a non-zero axis

Table
Date Northern Ireland United Kingdom
Jan-Mar 2011 66.9 70.5
Apr-Jun 2011 67.7 70.5
Jul-Sep 2011 67.3 70.1
Oct-Dec 2011 67.6 70.2
Jan-Mar 2012 67.4 70.5
Apr-Jun 2012 67.0 70.9
Jul-Sep 2012 67.3 71.1
Oct-Dec 2012 67.1 71.4
Jan-Mar 2013 66.4 71.2
Apr-Jun 2013 66.3 71.3
Jul-Sep 2013 67.0 71.6
Oct-Dec 2013 67.6 72.0
Jan-Mar 2014 67.7 72.5
Apr-Jun 2014 68.3 72.8
Jul-Sep 2014 68.4 73.0
Oct-Dec 2014 67.7 73.2
Jan-Mar 2015 68.2 73.4
Apr-Jun 2015 67.8 73.4
Jul-Sep 2015 67.9 73.7
Oct-Dec 2015 68.7 74.1
Jan-Mar 2016 69.2 74.1
Apr-Jun 2016 69.2 74.4
Jul-Sep 2016 70.1 74.4
Oct-Dec 2016 69.8 74.5
Jan-Mar 2017 68.4 74.7
Apr-Jun 2017 69.4 75.0
Jul-Sep 2017 68.3 74.9
Oct-Dec 2017 68.6 75.1
Jan-Mar 2018 69.8 75.5
Apr-Jun 2018 69.6 75.4
Jul-Sep 2018 69.4 75.4
Oct-Dec 2018 70.3 75.7
Jan-Mar 2019 71.4 75.9
Apr-Jun 2019 72.3 76.1
Jul-Sep 2019 72.2 76.0
Oct-Dec 2019 72.4 76.4
Jan-Mar 2020 71.3 75.9
Apr-Jun 2020 69.9 75.4
Jul-Sep 2020 69.8 74.6
Oct-Dec 2020 68.3 74.3
Jan-Mar 2021 68.7 74.4
Apr-Jun 2021 69.4 74.7
Jul-Sep 2021 68.4 75.0
Oct-Dec 2021 69.0 75.1
Jan-Mar 2022 70.5 75.1
Apr-Jun 2022 69.8 75.1
Jul-Sep 2022 70.4 75.0
Oct-Dec 2022 71.8 75.1
Jan-Mar 2023 71.6 75.3
Apr-Jun 2023 71.6 75.2
Jul-Sep 2023 72.4 74.9
Oct-Dec 2023 72.9 74.9
Jan-Mar 2024 73.0 74.5
Apr-Jun 2024 72.9 74.6
Jul-Sep 2024 72.1 74.9
Oct-Dec 2024 72.1 75.0
Jan-Mar 2025 71.6 75.0
Apr-Jun 2025 71.6 75.3
Jul-Sep 2025 71.4 75.0
Oct-Dec 2025 71.9 75.0
Jan-Mar 2026 72.1 75.0


Figure 4 shows that, over the last 15 years, the NI employment rate has been consistently below the UK rate. Although showing a similar trend, the fall in the employment rate in NI between 2019 and 2021 was steeper than the fall in the UK rate. When compared to the pre-pandemic rates recorded in October-December 2019, the most recent NI employment rate was 0.3pps below the NI pre-pandemic rate of 72.4%, while the UK rate was 1.4pps below the UK pre-pandemic rate of 76.4%.

The most recent NI employment rate (aged 16 to 64) for the period January-March 2026 was estimated at 72.1%. This was:

  • an increase of 0.3pps over the quarter (not statistically significant); and
  • an increase of 0.6pps over the year (not statistically significant);

The number of employed people (age 16 and over) in NI was estimated at 895,000, which was:

  • unchanged from last quarter; and
  • down 2,000 from the same period last year.

Annual changes by sex (for those aged 16 to 64) showed that:

  • the male employment rate (75.3%) decreased by 0.4pps over the year; and
  • the female employment rate (69.1%) increased by 1.5pps over the year.

UK regional comparison:

  • The NI employment rate (aged 16 to 64) of 72.1% was 2.9pps below the most recent UK rate of 75.0%; and
  • the third lowest of the twelve UK regions.

Please note that the following estimates are not adjusted for seasonality.

Self-employment:

  • In January-March 2026, there were 103,000 self-employed, a decrease of 15,000 (12.6%) over the year, and 32,000 lower (23.8%) than the pre-pandemic figure in October-December 2019.
  • The proportion who were self-employed (11.5%) remains below the pre-pandemic proportion (15.4%) recorded in October-December 2019.

Employment by Age:

  • In January-March 2026, those aged 25 to 34 had the highest employment rate (83.2%), whilst those aged 16 to 24 had the lowest (52.3%).
  • Compared to the pre-pandemic rates in October-December 2019, the employment rate for those aged 50 to 64 saw the largest increase (by +3.1pps, from 64.2% to 67.4%), whilst the rate for those aged 16 to 24 saw the largest decrease (by -3.4pps, from 55.7% to 52.3%).

3.2 Total weekly hours

Please note that the following estimates are not adjusted for seasonality.

Key findings

  • The total number of weekly hours worked in January-March 2026 was estimated at 29.4 million hours per week.
  • This was a decrease of 0.8% on the previous quarter and a decrease of 1.8% on the same period last year.

Figure 5: Total hours worked consistent with pre-pandemic trend

Total weekly hours worked (Age 16 and over), Jan-Mar 2011 to Jan-Mar 2026
Chart

Note: graph has a non-zero axis

Table
Date Total weekly hours
Jan-Mar 2011 26.7
Apr-Jun 2011 26.6
Jul-Sep 2011 25.3
Oct-Dec 2011 25.3
Jan-Mar 2012 26.5
Apr-Jun 2012 26.4
Jul-Sep 2012 26.1
Oct-Dec 2012 26.2
Jan-Mar 2013 26.6
Apr-Jun 2013 26.7
Jul-Sep 2013 26.5
Oct-Dec 2013 26.4
Jan-Mar 2014 27.2
Apr-Jun 2014 27.6
Jul-Sep 2014 27.2
Oct-Dec 2014 27.1
Jan-Mar 2015 27.8
Apr-Jun 2015 27.1
Jul-Sep 2015 26.1
Oct-Dec 2015 25.9
Jan-Mar 2016 27.5
Apr-Jun 2016 28.4
Jul-Sep 2016 26.5
Oct-Dec 2016 27.5
Jan-Mar 2017 28.0
Apr-Jun 2017 28.0
Jul-Sep 2017 26.7
Oct-Dec 2017 27.6
Jan-Mar 2018 28.3
Apr-Jun 2018 28.8
Jul-Sep 2018 27.6
Oct-Dec 2018 28.3
Jan-Mar 2019 29.6
Apr-Jun 2019 30.0
Jul-Sep 2019 29.2
Oct-Dec 2019 29.4
Jan-Mar 2020 28.8
Apr-Jun 2020 22.9
Jul-Sep 2020 25.5
Oct-Dec 2020 25.3
Jan-Mar 2021 25.9
Apr-Jun 2021 27.1
Jul-Sep 2021 26.3
Oct-Dec 2021 26.9
Jan-Mar 2022 28.4
Apr-Jun 2022 28.2
Jul-Sep 2022 26.8
Oct-Dec 2022 28.3
Jan-Mar 2023 29.1
Apr-Jun 2023 29.0
Jul-Sep 2023 28.1
Oct-Dec 2023 28.7
Jan-Mar 2024 29.2
Apr-Jun 2024 29.9
Jul-Sep 2024 28.6
Oct-Dec 2024 29.6
Jan-Mar 2025 29.9
Apr-Jun 2025 29.9
Jul-Sep 2025 28.6
Oct-Dec 2025 29.6
Jan-Mar 2026 29.4


Figure 5 illustrates that, like many labour market indicators, total weekly hours worked shows a seasonal pattern. Outside of these seasonal variations, a trend of increasing weekly hours worked can be seen between 2011 and the end of 2019, prior to a sharp fall between January-March 2020 and April-June 2020. From early-2021 onwards, the increasing trend returned at a steeper rate than before the pandemic, peaking at 30.0 million hours in April-June 2019. Hours worked have since decreased with the most recent period, January-March 2026, 1.8% below the peak.

The total number of weekly hours worked in NI in January-March 2026 was estimated at 29.4 million hours, this was:

  • a decrease of 0.2 million hours (0.8%) on the previous quarter;
  • a decrease of 0.5 million hours (1.8%) from the same period last year (not statistically significant); and
  • unchanged from the pre-pandemic (October-December 2019) figure.

The average number of weekly hours worked in January-March 2026 was estimated at 36.9 hours for those in full-time employment, and at 17.0 hours for those in part-time employment (for main jobs only, any second jobs are excluded). By sex:

  • for those in full-time employment, the average weekly hours worked for males was 39.1 hours, whereas for females it was 33.6 hours.
  • for those in part-time employment, the average weekly hours worked for males was 18.7 hours, whereas for females it was 16.5 hours.

3.3 Employees (experimental) from HMRC PAYE RTI

Payrolled employee counts (experimental) from the HMRC’s Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI) system relate to employees paid by employers only, and do not include those who are self-employed. Data are based on where employees live and not the location of their place of work within the UK. As employees who were “furloughed” as part of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme programme should still have had their payments reported through this system, they should feature in these data.

Key findings

  • The number of payrolled employees in NI decreased by 0.1% over the month and increased by 1.0% over the year to April 2026.
  • In the UK, the number of payrolled employees decreased by 0.3% over the month and decreased by 0.7% over the year to April 2026.

Figure 6: Number of payrolled employees decreased over the month

NI payrolled employees (experimental) from PAYE RTI, July 2014 to April 2026
Chart

Note: graph has a non-zero axis

Table
Date Northern Ireland
Jul 2014 674,216
Aug 2014 675,586
Sep 2014 676,403
Oct 2014 677,483
Nov 2014 679,527
Dec 2014 679,334
Jan 2015 683,743
Feb 2015 685,726
Mar 2015 687,281
Apr 2015 690,694
May 2015 691,675
Jun 2015 694,005
Jul 2015 695,564
Aug 2015 696,677
Sep 2015 698,866
Oct 2015 699,307
Nov 2015 700,282
Dec 2015 699,975
Jan 2016 701,589
Feb 2016 701,939
Mar 2016 702,870
Apr 2016 703,569
May 2016 704,285
Jun 2016 704,150
Jul 2016 704,767
Aug 2016 706,270
Sep 2016 707,478
Oct 2016 708,632
Nov 2016 711,614
Dec 2016 712,153
Jan 2017 710,984
Feb 2017 712,860
Mar 2017 714,337
Apr 2017 715,455
May 2017 717,156
Jun 2017 718,763
Jul 2017 719,458
Aug 2017 720,931
Sep 2017 722,302
Oct 2017 723,613
Nov 2017 724,920
Dec 2017 728,384
Jan 2018 728,043
Feb 2018 729,640
Mar 2018 729,850
Apr 2018 731,792
May 2018 732,461
Jun 2018 733,377
Jul 2018 734,721
Aug 2018 736,307
Sep 2018 737,816
Oct 2018 739,549
Nov 2018 740,365
Dec 2018 741,676
Jan 2019 742,688
Feb 2019 743,786
Mar 2019 745,041
Apr 2019 745,431
May 2019 745,821
Jun 2019 744,903
Jul 2019 747,183
Aug 2019 747,724
Sep 2019 748,204
Oct 2019 748,749
Nov 2019 750,330
Dec 2019 750,447
Jan 2020 751,960
Feb 2020 753,121
Mar 2020 752,963
Apr 2020 741,377
May 2020 740,734
Jun 2020 740,712
Jul 2020 742,207
Aug 2020 738,280
Sep 2020 738,723
Oct 2020 737,964
Nov 2020 736,339
Dec 2020 737,066
Jan 2021 738,527
Feb 2021 738,977
Mar 2021 739,840
Apr 2021 740,642
May 2021 746,872
Jun 2021 754,681
Jul 2021 760,583
Aug 2021 760,850
Sep 2021 761,927
Oct 2021 763,146
Nov 2021 765,696
Dec 2021 768,178
Jan 2022 769,887
Feb 2022 771,095
Mar 2022 772,536
Apr 2022 773,250
May 2022 774,849
Jun 2022 775,471
Jul 2022 777,282
Aug 2022 780,774
Sep 2022 779,841
Oct 2022 780,756
Nov 2022 782,155
Dec 2022 783,897
Jan 2023 783,635
Feb 2023 785,563
Mar 2023 788,015
Apr 2023 788,536
May 2023 788,625
Jun 2023 790,108
Jul 2023 790,415
Aug 2023 792,460
Sep 2023 794,317
Oct 2023 796,226
Nov 2023 797,331
Dec 2023 798,662
Jan 2024 798,705
Feb 2024 800,056
Mar 2024 800,037
Apr 2024 802,501
May 2024 804,439
Jun 2024 807,943
Jul 2024 807,651
Aug 2024 807,739
Sep 2024 807,603
Oct 2024 807,611
Nov 2024 807,647
Dec 2024 806,814
Jan 2025 807,791
Feb 2025 808,459
Mar 2025 809,608
Apr 2025 809,760
May 2025 809,974
Jun 2025 809,324
Jul 2025 810,249
Aug 2025 811,114
Sep 2025 812,713
Oct 2025 814,141
Nov 2025 815,138
Dec 2025 815,719
Jan 2026 818,135
Feb 2026 819,003
Mar 2026 818,649
Apr 2026 818,112


Please note:

  1. The flash estimate for the latest period is based on early data and is therefore more likely to be subject to revisions.

Between 2014 and 2020, the number of payrolled employees had generally been increasing each month, peaking at around 753,000 in March 2020. This was followed by a decrease of around 11,000 employees (1.5%) to April 2020. Employee numbers then remained at a similar level until April 2021 when they returned to a general upward trend once again. Over the past 12 months, the number of payrolled employees has increased by 8,300 (1.0%), making it the only region in the UK to see an annual increase.

Data from the latest HMRC PAYE RTI show that:

  • 818,100 people were payrolled employees in April 2026, a 0.1% decrease from the previous month and a 1.0% increase over the year.
  • In the UK, there were 30,181,700 payrolled employees in April 2026, a 0.3% decrease from the previous month and a 0.7% decrease over the year.
  • Over the year, the other 11 UK regions saw a decline in payrolled employees, while Northern Ireland recorded an increase of 1.0%.
  • Between March 2020 and April 2026, all regions of the UK recorded an increase in payrolled employees (4% overall). Northern Ireland recorded the largest increase (8.7%) while Scotland recorded the lowest (2.1%).

3.4 Earnings (experimental) from HMRC PAYE RTI

Median measures the amount earned by the average employee, i.e. the level of earnings at which half the population are above and half the population are below.

Key findings

  • Median monthly pay in NI increased by 0.4% (£10) over the month to £2,467 in April 2026 and increased by 3.2% (£76) over the year.
  • UK median monthly pay increased by 0.6% (£15) over the month to £2,627 in April 2026 and increased by 4.9% (£123) over the year.

Figure 7: Over the month median monthly pay increased in NI and increased in the UK

Median Monthly Pay (experimental) from PAYE RTI, July 2014 to April 2026
Chart

Note: graph has a non-zero axis

Table
Date Northern Ireland UK
Jul 2014 1489 1598
Aug 2014 1486 1601
Sep 2014 1493 1604
Oct 2014 1488 1601
Nov 2014 1502 1611
Dec 2014 1515 1617
Jan 2015 1502 1618
Feb 2015 1493 1620
Mar 2015 1503 1622
Apr 2015 1497 1614
May 2015 1498 1616
Jun 2015 1494 1618
Jul 2015 1488 1617
Aug 2015 1493 1620
Sep 2015 1493 1620
Oct 2015 1496 1625
Nov 2015 1500 1635
Dec 2015 1496 1630
Jan 2016 1505 1639
Feb 2016 1507 1643
Mar 2016 1512 1646
Apr 2016 1513 1651
May 2016 1517 1654
Jun 2016 1515 1656
Jul 2016 1519 1660
Aug 2016 1529 1661
Sep 2016 1527 1664
Oct 2016 1528 1669
Nov 2016 1529 1668
Dec 2016 1532 1671
Jan 2017 1542 1672
Feb 2017 1532 1678
Mar 2017 1542 1684
Apr 2017 1545 1690
May 2017 1545 1691
Jun 2017 1554 1692
Jul 2017 1560 1698
Aug 2017 1558 1700
Sep 2017 1563 1705
Oct 2017 1568 1711
Nov 2017 1570 1716
Dec 2017 1580 1721
Jan 2018 1572 1726
Feb 2018 1587 1728
Mar 2018 1582 1728
Apr 2018 1592 1732
May 2018 1601 1747
Jun 2018 1608 1753
Jul 2018 1618 1759
Aug 2018 1618 1776
Sep 2018 1625 1768
Oct 2018 1630 1772
Nov 2018 1634 1777
Dec 2018 1642 1779
Jan 2019 1648 1788
Feb 2019 1685 1791
Mar 2019 1658 1803
Apr 2019 1665 1808
May 2019 1674 1810
Jun 2019 1677 1815
Jul 2019 1682 1821
Aug 2019 1684 1826
Sep 2019 1692 1828
Oct 2019 1692 1830
Nov 2019 1687 1835
Dec 2019 1683 1845
Jan 2020 1701 1849
Feb 2020 1710 1863
Mar 2020 1745 1846
Apr 2020 1652 1794
May 2020 1665 1800
Jun 2020 1712 1829
Jul 2020 1741 1859
Aug 2020 1759 1895
Sep 2020 1768 1907
Oct 2020 1779 1915
Nov 2020 1786 1924
Dec 2020 1788 1928
Jan 2021 1787 1934
Feb 2021 1790 1944
Mar 2021 1793 1949
Apr 2021 1807 1958
May 2021 1809 1968
Jun 2021 1822 1974
Jul 2021 1883 1984
Aug 2021 1831 1998
Sep 2021 1852 2013
Oct 2021 1860 2018
Nov 2021 1858 2023
Dec 2021 1904 2035
Jan 2022 1945 2053
Feb 2022 1914 2055
Mar 2022 1924 2072
Apr 2022 1927 2071
May 2022 1938 2088
Jun 2022 1943 2102
Jul 2022 1957 2109
Aug 2022 1975 2124
Sep 2022 1971 2152
Oct 2022 1991 2160
Nov 2022 2007 2198
Dec 2022 2015 2189
Jan 2023 2049 2200
Feb 2023 2051 2208
Mar 2023 2104 2209
Apr 2023 2056 2231
May 2023 2060 2251
Jun 2023 2083 2297
Jul 2023 2094 2277
Aug 2023 2093 2280
Sep 2023 2103 2279
Oct 2023 2113 2292
Nov 2023 2124 2333
Dec 2023 2143 2328
Jan 2024 2137 2333
Feb 2024 2155 2344
Mar 2024 2165 2352
Apr 2024 2192 2366
May 2024 2218 2376
Jun 2024 2329 2388
Jul 2024 2243 2395
Aug 2024 2315 2410
Sep 2024 2262 2416
Oct 2024 2271 2465
Nov 2024 2291 2479
Dec 2024 2287 2459
Jan 2025 2295 2468
Feb 2025 2309 2479
Mar 2025 2426 2490
Apr 2025 2391 2504
May 2025 2364 2509
Jun 2025 2360 2522
Jul 2025 2368 2534
Aug 2025 2375 2567
Sep 2025 2424 2551
Oct 2025 2405 2551
Nov 2025 2405 2552
Dec 2025 2400 2562
Jan 2026 2439 2580
Feb 2026 2502 2598
Mar 2026 2457 2612
Apr 2026 2467 2627


Please note:

  1. The flash estimate for the latest period is based on early data and is therefore more likely to be subject to revisions.

Median monthly pay in NI and the UK increased overall between mid-2015 and early 2020. In NI, an increase of 1.5% in median pay was recorded between February and March 2020, followed by a decrease of 4.6% between March and April 2020. The UK also saw a decrease between March and April 2020 of 2.6%. These monthly decreases coincided with decreases in the number of paid employees recorded in April 2020.

Over the past year, NI’s median monthly pay has experienced significant fluctuations due to local pay awards. The annual increase to April 2026 of 3.2% was the smallest recorded across the UK.

Data from the latest HMRC PAYE RTI show that:

  • NI had a median monthly pay of £2,467 in April 2026, which was an increase of 0.4% on the previous month and an increase of 3.2% from April 2025.
  • UK had a median monthly pay of £2,627 in April 2026, which was an increase of 0.6% on the previous month and an increase of 4.9% from April 2025.
  • NI had the smallest annual increase of the 12 UK regions and was the lowest earning region in the UK in April 2026. London had the highest median pay (£3,080).
  • Since March 2020, earnings in NI have increased by 41.4%, 0.9 pps more than the increase in the UK (42.3%) and highest of all the UK regions.


4. Economic inactivity

4.1 LFS Economic inactivity

Economically inactive: People not in employment who have not been seeking work within the last 4 weeks and/or are unable to start work within the next 2 weeks.

Key findings

  • The NI economic inactivity rate decreased over both the quarter and the year to 26.3%.
  • The most recent UK economic inactivity rate for January-March 2026 was estimated at 20.9%.

Figure 8: NI economic inactivity consistently above UK average

Seasonally adjusted economic inactivity rates (Aged 16 to 64), Jan-Mar 2011 to Jan-Mar 2026
Chart

Note: graph has a non-zero axis

Table
Date Northern Ireland United Kingdom
Jan-Mar 2011 27.8 23.4
Apr-Jun 2011 26.8 23.3
Jul-Sep 2011 27.3 23.4
Oct-Dec 2011 27.2 23.2
Jan-Mar 2012 27.6 23.1
Apr-Jun 2012 27.3 22.8
Jul-Sep 2012 27.0 22.7
Oct-Dec 2012 27.2 22.4
Jan-Mar 2013 27.7 22.6
Apr-Jun 2013 28.3 22.5
Jul-Sep 2013 27.5 22.3
Oct-Dec 2013 27.0 22.3
Jan-Mar 2014 27.0 22.2
Apr-Jun 2014 26.8 22.2
Jul-Sep 2014 27.0 22.2
Oct-Dec 2014 28.0 22.3
Jan-Mar 2015 27.1 22.2
Apr-Jun 2015 27.4 22.2
Jul-Sep 2015 27.6 22.0
Oct-Dec 2015 26.9 21.9
Jan-Mar 2016 26.1 21.9
Apr-Jun 2016 26.4 21.7
Jul-Sep 2016 25.6 21.7
Oct-Dec 2016 26.1 21.7
Jan-Mar 2017 27.6 21.6
Apr-Jun 2017 26.8 21.4
Jul-Sep 2017 28.8 21.7
Oct-Dec 2017 28.4 21.4
Jan-Mar 2018 27.9 21.2
Apr-Jun 2018 27.6 21.3
Jul-Sep 2018 27.7 21.3
Oct-Dec 2018 26.8 21.1
Jan-Mar 2019 26.5 21.0
Apr-Jun 2019 25.4 20.7
Jul-Sep 2019 25.9 20.8
Oct-Dec 2019 25.8 20.6
Jan-Mar 2020 26.8 20.7
Apr-Jun 2020 27.9 21.3
Jul-Sep 2020 27.6 21.4
Oct-Dec 2020 28.8 21.5
Jan-Mar 2021 28.5 21.7
Apr-Jun 2021 27.4 21.6
Jul-Sep 2021 28.3 21.4
Oct-Dec 2021 28.7 21.6
Jan-Mar 2022 27.6 21.9
Apr-Jun 2022 28.2 21.9
Jul-Sep 2022 27.3 22.1
Oct-Dec 2022 26.4 21.7
Jan-Mar 2023 26.7 21.5
Apr-Jun 2023 26.6 21.4
Jul-Sep 2023 26.2 21.8
Oct-Dec 2023 25.3 22.1
Jan-Mar 2024 25.4 22.1
Apr-Jun 2024 25.8 22.1
Jul-Sep 2024 26.6 21.6
Oct-Dec 2024 26.6 21.5
Jan-Mar 2025 27.2 21.4
Apr-Jun 2025 26.6 21.0
Jul-Sep 2025 26.8 21.0
Oct-Dec 2025 26.5 20.8
Jan-Mar 2026 26.3 20.9


Figure 8 shows that, over the last 15 years, economic inactivity in NI has been consistently higher than the UK average, with more variability in economic inactivity in NI than the UK. Economic inactivity in NI peaked during this time-period in late-2020 at 28.8%, compared to the lower peak in the UK rate of 23.4% in mid-2011.

During the period to 2019, the trend for both the UK and NI economic inactivity rates was generally downward. From the onset of the COVID pandemic, both UK and NI economic inactivity rates increased. Since early-2021 however, the trends have varied, whilst the UK rate has trended upwards until early 2024 with a downward trend since, the NI rate trended downwards until the start of 2024 with a general upward trend since. Over the last year, the economic inactivity rate in NI has seen a decrease of 1.0pps, whilst the UK rate has also seen a decrease, of 0.4pps. The most recent economic inactivity rates for NI (26.3%) and the UK (20.9%) were 0.5pps and 0.3pps above their pre-pandemic equivalents in October-December 2019.

The NI economic inactivity rate (aged 16 to 64) for January-March 2026 was estimated at 26.3%, which was:

  • a decrease of 0.2pps over the quarter (not statistically significant); and
  • a decrease of 1.0pps over the year (not statistically significant).

The number of economically inactive people (age 16 and over) in NI was estimated at 627,000, which was:

  • up 4,000 from last quarter; and
  • up 8,000 from the same period last year.

Annual changes by sex (for those aged 16 to 64) showed:

  • a decrease of 0.1pps over the year in the male economic inactivity rate to 22.7%; and
  • a decrease of 1.8pps over the year in the female economic inactivity rate to 29.8%.

UK regional comparison:

  • The NI economic inactivity rate (aged 16 to 64) of 26.3% was 5.4pps above the most recent UK rate of 20.9%; and
  • the highest of the twelve UK regions.

Please note that the following estimates are not adjusted for seasonality.

Reasons for inactivity:

  • In January-March 2026, the most common reason for economic inactivity among the working age population was ‘long-term sick’. There were 114,000 ‘long-term sick’, accounting for 36.9% of the total economically inactive (aged 16 to 64), or 9.6% of the working age population. This was a decrease of 7,000 (5.9%) from the same period last year.
  • Compared to the pre-pandemic figures in October-December 2019, there has been an increase in the number of ‘long-term sick’ (by 9,000), ‘student’ (by 3,000) and ‘retired’ (by 3,000), however the total for ‘family and home care’ has decreased by 13,000.

Inactivity by Age:

  • In January-March 2026, those aged 65 and over (313,000) made up the highest proportion (50.3%) of the total economically inactive (age 16 and over), with those aged 25 to 34 (33,000) making up the lowest proportion (5.2%) across the age groups.
  • Those aged 65 and over had the highest economic inactivity rate (89.7%), whilst those aged 25 to 34 had the lowest (13.9%). These rates are relatively similar to the pre-pandemic rates in October-December 2019 (90.0% and 15.8% respectively).


5. Further Information

General Information

The Labour Market Report is a monthly overview of key labour market statistics for NI. It includes figures from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), claimant count, redundancies counts, and HMRC PAYE statistics. The LMR also contains an overview from the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) in March, June, September and December. More information about the data sources can be found in the LMR Supplementary Document.

Comparison between data sources

Although the broad concepts are similar across sources contained within this release, differences in reference periods, definitions, and methodology exist which impact the interpretation of the statistics. Additional information can be found in the LMR supplementary document, including comparisons between:

  • LFS unemployment and experimental claimant count
  • LFS employment and the number of paid employees from HMRC PAYE RTI
  • LFS employment and QES employee jobs
  • HMRC PAYE RTI and Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
  • Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) and HMRC PAYE RTI

More information is also available in the comparison of labour market data sources article by ONS.

Seasonal adjustment

All estimates discussed in this report are seasonally adjusted unless otherwise stated. Seasonal adjustment removes the effects of seasonal factors and the arrangement of the calendar and allows comparison over months or quarters.

Reporting change and sampling variability

Reported change is calculated using unrounded data and is presented to 1 decimal place. When a change is less than 0.05pps, it is rounded to 0.0pps and the data is reported as unchanged.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a sample survey. Estimates obtained from it are subject to sampling variability which means if we drew many samples, each would give a different result. The sampling variability of the Northern Ireland estimates can be found in Table 2.49 of the LFS monthly tables, published alongside this report on the NISRA website. We would expect that in 95% of samples the range would contain the true value.

Alternative release time

The NI Labour Market Report is released at 7am. This is an ‘alternative release time’ agreed by the Office for Statistics Regulation and differs from the standard 9.30am release time for the majority of statistical reports.

Labour Force Survey

Response rates

The methodology for determining the response rate for the NI LFS has been revised to follow the same methodology as that used in ONS. This allows for the comparability of the response rate against the UK.

The achieved sample size for the Northern Ireland Labour Force Survey during October to December 2025 was 2,050, a decrease of 7.6% from the same period last year.

Table 1: LFS Response rates, October-December 2021 to October to December 2025

Period NI Response Rate (%) UK Response Rate (%)
October-December 2021 28.2 26.6
January-March 2022 33.3 27.2
April-June 2022 43.3 27.8
July-September 2022 46.4 26.1
October-December 2022 47.4 23.6
January-March 2023 48.0 21.5
April-June 2023 47.4 19.6
July-September 2023 43.9 17.4
October-December 2023 41.9 18.8
January-March 2024 36.1 21.3
April-June 2024 33.2 23.1
July-September 2024 30.8 24.6
October-December 2024 31.1 24.4
January-March 2025 30.9 25.4
April-June 2025 29.7 26.8
July-September 2025 28.9 27.4
October-December 2025 31.0 28.2

Please note, response rates are updated quarterly.

LFS revisions

LFS microdata are routinely revised to incorporate the latest population estimates. The latest reweighting was introduced in December 2024, affecting data from January-March 2019 to July-September 2024. An overview of the impact of reweighting on the NI estimates of unemployment, employment, and economic inactivity is available on the NISRA website. Previous reweightings occurred in October 2020, July 2021, June 2022 and February 2024.

LFS comparisons

Estimates of employment, unemployment, and economic inactivity are derived from the LFS. The most robust estimates of short-term movements in these estimates are obtained by comparing the estimates over separate three-month periods, commonly known as 3 month rolling averages. For example, estimates relating to January-March 2026 should be compared with the estimates for October-December 2025. This provides a more robust estimate than comparing with the estimates for December-February 2026, as the January and February data are included within both estimates. The LFS is sampled such that it is representative of the NI population over a three-month period, not for a single month period.

Suppression and shading

Estimates based on fewer than 3 events are suppressed to prevent disclosure. In tables, shading is used to draw attention to lower statistical quality/precision of estimates that are based on a smaller sample size. Shaded estimates still provide the best estimate of the size of a group but comparison across time or between groups with similar values should be avoided. Unshaded estimates are based on a larger sample size. This is likely to result in estimates of higher precision, although they will still be subject to some sampling variability.

Due to the small sample sizes and the effect this may have on the precision of the figures, estimates for long-term unemployment, youth unemployment and annual changes in unemployment by sex have not been included in this bulletin this month.

Claimant Count

Experimental claimant count

This measure is categorised as experimental as the statistics are in the testing phase and not yet fully developed. ONS have produced a useful guide to official statistics in development, and an FAQ document explaining the difference between the previous measure and this experimental measure is available on the changes to the claimant count page.

Claimant count revisions

Seasonally adjusted estimates are revised on a regular basis. Each month the previous estimate is revised in line with the current seasonal adjustment model, giving the best estimate of change for the latest period.

Also, a seasonal adjustment review takes place once a year. Typically, the last 3 years are revised and this takes the most recent year of data into account when determining the seasonal adjustment model. These revisions affect only the seasonally adjusted data.

Claimant count undercount correction note

A number of claims across the UK to the UC element of the Claimant Count were coded to incorrect locations for data relating to December 2018 to November 2019. This has been corrected for December 2019 onwards, but previous periods remain affected. The impact of the revision on NI for December 2019 was an increase of fewer than 1,000 cases.

Percentage of workforce

The number of claimants as a percentage of workforce jobs plus claimants. Workforce jobs are the sum of employee jobs, self-employment jobs, HM Forces, and government-supported trainees. This measure is only available at the NI level.

Redundancies

To prevent the potential identification of individual businesses, redundancy totals relating to fewer than 3 businesses are not disclosed. The Statistical Disclosure Control Policy is available on the NISRA website.

HMRC PAYE Real Time Information

Age breakdowns are published in January, April, July and October, and industry sector breakdowns published in February, May, August and November. Data are subject to revisions.

Further information on UK monthly pay, UK pay distribution, methodology, data source, collection, and coverage of PAYE RTI data, as well as information on imputation and revisions can be found on the Earnings and employment from PAYE page.


The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency wishes to thank the participating households and businesses for their co-operation in agreeing to take part in the surveys and for facilitating the collection of the relevant data.


6. Contacts

For further information contact:

Labour Force Survey, Claimant Count, and Redundancies

Mark McFetridge
Email:

HMRC PAYE

Brian Grogan
Email:


Web: Labour Market and Social Welfare
Twitter / X: NISRA

Accredited Official Statistics logo

7. Accredited Official Statistics Status

These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in August 2010 following a full assessment of Labour Market Statistics for Northern Ireland against the Code of Practice for Statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and are therefore labelled as accredited official statistics. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. For further information, please refer to the Office for Statistics Regulation accredited official statistics webpage.

As outlined above, our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards using the details in Section 6.

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing or via the OSR website.